> A New Life
>  by Lunafan1k
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Darkness, I was surrounded by a vast, empty void of deafening silence, yet I could still hear the screams. They echoed far, coming from everywhere and nowhere as I could do nothing but listen to them. They were cries of pure agony, of loneliness and abandonment, hatred and anger coming from all around me, from inside me. I didn’t know what was going on, who I was or how I got there. It felt like my mind was but a sliver of what it once was. And the screaming, the constant screaming… it never abated, never slowed down, it was as constant as the void I found myself in.

Wait, there’s something else. Something I didn’t notice before, there, just under the screams. It sounded like a tone, a constant series of beeps in rapid succession. I hated it. It was something from beyond the darkness I found myself in, taunting me against the comforting screams that fought against the void. I instead focused on the screams, taking comfort in their effort to not abandon me to the darkness, but they were changing. They began to dwindle and I began to feel, like a pressure on my neck as the screams died out to a hoarse whisper.

As they did, I heard other things, sounds held back by the screams... voices, many of them! But they didn’t come from the void, they came from beyond, from where the noise of the beep came from. With nothing better to do I gave in and listened. The voices were frantic, moving about yet somehow not there with me. I began to feel more sensations, feelings and flavors I could not place. Where was it coming from? Certainly not the void, for all it did was stare at me, judging me, a constant reminder of something I had lost… though I dare not think of what it could be, there were more pressing matters.

I felt my mouth open-wait, I don’t have a body in the void… no matter where I look I’m just simply a thought in complete darkness, how can my mouth open when I don’t have one, my throat close when I don’t need one? Nothing made sense anymore, I needed to do something, I needed to fix this, I needed to-

I opened my eyes. Almost immediately I was blinded by a bright light shining from far above me, dark shapes danced and played at the edges of my vision. I paid them no mind, the light, burning with intensity, beckoned me forth. Almost on cue, I felt my right hoof raise as to reach towards it, to feel it, to caress it, to-is that blood? I bring my hoof closer to examine it, the light remained as it was as my eyes focused. I felt my body convulse and my hoof was splattered with more of my green ichor. What was happening?

Suddenly one of the shadows moved, my eyes weren’t able to focus on it but it looked like another hoof, one far different than my own. It moved mine back out of sight. I heard the voices again, and another, smaller light entered my vision and raced back and forth playfully. I tried to follow its rapid movements but it was gone as soon as it arrived. Then a shadow, it looked like a head by its outline, peered down at me as my mouth was forced open. I felt something, it was long, round and smooth being shoved down my throat, and the next instant I felt my lungs fill with air as my chest expanded. It was odd, breathing without air passing through my throat. Probably for the better if the blood was any indication.

The next moment I felt a sharp pain at the base of my neck and a pressure, as if there was more fluid there than should be there normally. It dissipated quickly as it was forced along my body. But as it dissipated, so too did my vision fade. I was welcomed back to the darkness, but this one was comforting, embracing… quiet.





I don’t know when, but I became aware of that infernal beeping once more plaguing my mind as the dream space fell away. Was I dreaming? I don’t remember, the events slipped away like water though my hooves. As I felt myself regain awareness, I realized I was laying on something both soft yet supportive, so as I rested I would be in a reclined position instead of laying down. 

The beeping continued, although at a much more relaxed pace compared to the frantic chorus of beeps I heard while in the void. An improvement, I suppose, but still annoying regardless. I moved my forelegs and rear legs a bit, a soft sheet slid over them smoothly in comfort. I smiled, it was rather nice compared to… compared to what? I can’t seem to remember anything before the void, not exactly anyway. Not that it mattered, I was rather comfortable. I spent a few moments enjoying the feeling of the sheets. 

After a moment I opened my eyes, expecting to be blinded by another bright orb of light. I was surprised to find myself in a room illuminated in a soft glow. I looked around, there was a hole in the wall leading to the outside and the light was coming from there, striking the curtains as a gentle breeze played with their fabric. It was enough to light up the room without being blinding, for which I was grateful.

I turned my head to look at the other side of the room, but in doing so I felt something shift against my neck. I reached up and felt more fabric, wrapped around my throat gently, a bandage of some sort. I moved a hoof up to my muzzle and found some smooth round things, they reminded me of-oh, as I fiddled with it I felt it twitching down inside my throat, yet I was breathing just fine. Perhaps this was helping in some way?

I followed what appeared to be a clear tube of some sort from my mouth to some kind of machine. Well, there were several little machines and I wasn’t sure which one it went to. There were also a number of strings… no, wires going from them to me, and it was one of those machines that was making that beeping noise, though I couldn’t tell which one.

I tried to maneuver around into another position but my body felt weak and heavy. I was made aware of a dull soreness pulsing thought my body, focused mostly on my throat and chest, though I had no idea what could have caused it. 

I was interrupted from my thoughts as the door to my left opened gently. I was greeted by a white unicorn mare, a pony. A mild bit of panic shot through me, almost like I feared her… but I had no idea why. Did a pony do this to me? If so then I doubt they would let me rest someplace so cozy, even if their idea of torture was a beeping machine.

“Oh! Good morning! My name is Nurse Redheart.” She said when she saw me. I started to open my mouth to reply but no voice came out. “Oh, don’t worry about saying anything, your throat is still healing and I would hate to have you further injure yourself.” 

I thought for a moment, about the bandages, the tube, and the ease of breathing. Made sense to me, so I nodded instead.

“And it looks like you can at least understand our language as well, that will make this much easier.” I nodded again, unsure why I wouldn’t be able to understand them. Apparently my confusion showed as she explained, “I don’t mean to offend, but we’ve never encountered a pony of your… physiology before and assumed you were from a foreign land.”

I nodded in understanding, it made sense. “Alright, so I’m just going to look at your vitals on these machines for a moment and I’ll go fetch the doctor and let him know you’re up, go ahead and just relax, okay?” 

I nodded once again and laid back, staring at the ceiling as Nurse Redheart scribbled away on a clipboard. There was motion above my head, when I repositioned myself to get a better view I saw it was several floating balls of various colors, some with words of ‘Get well soon!’ and other comments about health floated around, each tied to a string... yes, a string. I followed the strings to a small table under the balls and found them tied to a basket of some sort. It was unclear what was inside from the angle I was sitting but it looked like there could be more than a few small nick-knacks. 

The nurse must have seen my gaze as she explained, “Some of the ponies who brought you in put that together for you, it’s got a few gifts from each of them for you to enjoy during your recovery.” I nodded and smiled back at her before relaxing once more. The thought was nice, but I wasn’t up for too much at the moment. I was getting exhausted just from the few times I moved around.

“Alright, I’m done here and everything looks good as far as I can see. I’ll go fetch the doctor and he will be with you shortly.” I nodded again, I should stop doing that, its making my neck tender.

The door closed behind her  as she left the room and a soft silence full upon me. My ears flicked as I listened, the beeping was gone! She must have shut it off and I didn’t notice! I smiled, I’ll have to find a way to repay her, what do mares like?

…

Nothing came to me, I haven’t a clue what mares like, let alone stallions. I tried to think of what a stallion looked like. Well for starters I bet he had a face, maybe some teeth. Eyes? Probably. Legs, hooves, mane and tail… my mental image of a stallion looked exactly like the nurse. It dawned on me I hadn’t a clue what a stallion looks like, but I know what one is… it was both frustrating and fascinating at the same time.

I was brought from my thoughts as a stallion in a doctor’s coat walked in, another clip board held in his telekinetic grasp. It clicked in my mind and my mouth formed an ‘oh’ shape. This one was a light brown with a curly black mane.

“Well good morning! I’m Dr. Cure, I operated on you when you were brought in last night. How are you feeling?” I shrugged. “Throat still a bit sore I take it?” I nodded again. “Not to worry, we’ll have you patched up and in a few days you’ll be good as new.” I smiled, and as I did I noticed his eyes glanced down to my mouth. Had the nurse done the same? I didn’t know, I wasn’t paying too much attention. This raised a few questions, but I wasn’t sure how to voice them. I pondered for a moment before I motioned to the doctor.

He picked up on my signals and re-arranged some sheets on the clip board before hoofing it to me along with a pen. I thought how I knew what they were for a moment before mentally shrugging and gripping the pen and clipboard in my magic. It took but a moment to write out my question, What happened?

“Ah, thought you might ask that one. You were found deep in the Everfree Forest by Zecora, a local zebra who lives near the edge of the woods. She told us she heard screams of utter pain and quickly followed them to find you rolling around and clutching your head. She managed to gather you up and rush you here. Unfortunately your constant screaming ruptured your throat and we had to perform an operation to keep you breathing, your throat was swelling shut from the abuse.”

Ah, so the screaming in the void was my own. But why? It didn’t feel like I was in pain… 

The doctor continued, “Her friends had heard what happened, one of them being Princess Celestia’s student, Twilight Sparkle. They put together a gift basket and Twilight set about researching what species you were in order to help us heal you. She actually just stopped by this morning, having spent the night looking though all her books but she couldn’t find a single clue.” I raised an eyebrow, really? That seemed unlikely, I know there must be more of my kind. “Luckily your body functions about the same as a pony so were fairly confident you will be just fine. You don’t happen to know what happened, do you? We didn’t find any signs of head trauma when we examined you.”

I shook my head carefully and wrote, I don’t remember anything before waking up. Lots of screams.

“I see, we’ll have you talk to a mental health specialist once you’re better, sounds like a severe case of amnesia.” He said with a solemn look.

I didn’t know what he was talking about, not really, it was like I couldn’t connect the words to their meaning, well I think I did but it feels… wrong. I wrote another question, I am not a pony?

The doctor looked from me to the note pad and back again several times, “Defiantly some mental trauma. Here, see for yourself.”

He levitated a small mirror over to me. I took it in my magic and pointed it toward my face. My jaw dropped by what stared back at me, and I had to agree with the doctor. 

I was not a pony, I was a changeling. 

> Dreams of Books
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stared at the changeling in the mirror, somehow I know it was a changeling just as I knew what a pony was or how to write. I lifted my hooves from the sheets, examining the hard chitin and the holes seemingly bored all the way through my hooves, continuing up to about the middle of my leg. I examined my other foreleg, it too had holes in roughly the same places. 

I pulled the sheet down and looked at my chest and belly, they were soft to the touch, and covered in short black hairs. I was also defiantly male as well. I examined the chitin on my sides; it went from the soft furry skin of my belly to almost solid plates on my back. Also on my back, a pair of fragile looking wings. I gave them a quick buzz – yep! They work great! They folded against my sides comfortably as I lay back down. 

I held the mirror to my face and looked over the damage. As the doctor said, I’ve got several bandages around my neck with thick pads being held against the skin there. On my face and around my mouth there was the tube, held in place with several strips of tape. I opened my mouth and after a moment of looking at my sharp teeth I gazed into my throat. 

I was a bit horrified, my throat was still very swollen and pressed against the tube on all sides, if not for the tube I would have suffocated long ago. Also of note were several stitches and scabs here and there, overall not a pretty sight.

“You’re lucky Zecora rushed you here when she did, a few minutes later and your throat would have closed and the tube would have to have been inserted directly into the trachea.” I had no idea what that meant but it sounded bad, so I nodded and levitated the mirror back to the doctor.

“All done?” I nodded. “Alright, shall I inform Zecora and the others you are up?” I shrug and motion to the bandages. “Ah right, well in that case I can administer a sleeping agent to speed along your recovery. This evening when you wake up we’ll check the swelling and replace the bandages.” I nod and lay back in a comfortable position.

I watch as the doctor uses a needle and plunger to squirt some stuff into a tube that seemed to end at my elbow. I got a little bit of morbid curiosity about how exactly the tube ends, but as the liquid entered by arm my head grew heavy and I was whisked away to the realm of dreams once more.





Dreams are weird.

I’m not sure what consists of a normal dream but this struck me as just plain odd. I was floating in a void, this time with my entire body, and it was lit up with all sorts of swirling blue colors mixed with bright reds and vivid greens and a bit of yellow thrown in for good measure, almost like someone threw a bunch of-oh, a painting where an artist threw a bunch of paint at the thing they paint on just floated past. The word for that paint thing escapes me.

I look around and I can see what looks like shards of broken glass all around me, each one a motion of various colors. Some are large enough, showing part of a face of a pony, while others are more akin to dust floating on a breeze.

“What is all this?” I blurt out, the slight buzz of my changeling muzzle quite comforting to myself. “Echo!” I yell. I didn’t respond back.

“What indeed.” Perhaps I did respond back.

“Uh, echo?” I ask the expanse of color.

“We art behind thou.” Wow, my echo is weird!

I turn around anyway to meet a strange sight. She looked like a pony, was furry like a pony, but had wings AND a horn not like a pony. I didn’t know what to think of it as tumbleweed blew between us.

“Dost our appearance surprise you?” I nod, what else was there to do?

“Dost thou know our name, or who we are?” She asked. I shook my head; I really had no clue if the blank white space behind me meant anything. Oh look! Now it’s showing me with a white space showing me with a white space, showing me with a –stop that!

“We see, do not worry. Dost thou know, Thy name?” she asked as she poked my chest with her hoof.

“Of course I know my name, I’m-” I feel my mouth move, but no words come out. “I’m-” Silence once more.

“Thou cannot speak thy name, for thy don’t know thy name.” She said. She looked at me funny, was that pity?

“But, I have a name, I know I do…” I trailed off, searching around me for the answers in the swirling mass of broken glass.

“Dost thou- *ahem* Do you know what all this is?” She asked me, motioning towards the floating shards.

“A really, really weird dream with a mare I’ve never seem before?” I ask.

She shakes her head, “Close, I am Princess Luna, and we often walk among the dreams of our subjects. Although, I’ve never encountered a pony such as yourself. We had heard from our sister’s student, one Twilight Sparkle, and I’m afraid I was eager to meet you myself. I must say, you are not quite what I had expected.”

“Uh, sorry?” I asked, not really sure what to say exactly.

“No need to apologize, I just see I have many months of work ahead of me. I have no doubt I may be able to assist restoring your mind, for you see, all the ruins before you are the remains of your memories and experiences. Once you puzzle a few together, they merge and become whole once more, becoming a type of window. Unfortunately all of them are shattered, and scattered throughout the mindscape.”

“So, what do I do?” I asked nervously.

“Worry not, for the answer lies within the friendships you will form!” 

The dream scape began to crack and rumble as a great wind scattered the remains of my memories.

“What’s happening?!” I yelled as I-I opened my eyes to see I’m staring at the ceiling of my room.

‘Well that was a weird dream.’ I thought. A glance to the hole-window, it’s a window- revealed that the sun was beginning to set. I reached up and felt at my throat, the bandages were still there and haven’t moved much, and the general sore-ness has gone away a bit.

I looked to the door expectantly; the doctor should be here in a moment to change my bandages! I watched and waited and listened for a few minutes before growing rather bored. I looked to the basket and its tantalizing promise of something entertaining, but thought it might be rude not to wait for the ones who gave them to me. 

In my ever increasing boredom I started staring at the walls and the side of the bed. I noticed there was a plastic rail that could be raised over the side of the bed. I pulled it up with my magic and I see a bunch of colorful round things, each one labeled something different. After puzzling over them for a bit I pressed the one that looked like a triangle.

My bed suddenly moved! After a bit of panic I pressed the upside down triangle and the bed lowered. Did every button do something like this!? I smiled and started pressing more buttons. I found the ones that lowered and raised the height of the bed, the angle, and I could lift the foot of the bed! One button still puzzled me, it was labeled CALL. All it did was light up, kind of disappointing really. I pressed it a few more times just to be sure. Yep, just lights up.

Suddenly my door slams open, scaring me half to death as I jump in the air a bit before falling back into the bed. About seven doctors and nurses rushing in carrying various charts and equipment and speaking frantically before they stopped and stared at me for a moment. I waved nervously. They seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Alright everypony, false alarm. Head back to your posts.” Dr. Cure said. “Redheart, care to fetch me the replacement bandages?”

“Of course doctor.” She said and headed out as well. 

Dr. Cure turned back to me, “You gave us quite the scare just now.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Those buttons?” He pointed to the panel I had pulled up, “They aren’t just for the bed. We started getting emergency alarms in the office and thought something had happened.”

I looked away, embarrassed.

“Now now, no worries. Just keep in mind that those are for emergencies or if you need something”

I nodded in understanding. 

Nurse Redheart came back with a few small packages. “Here you are Doctor, will you need anything else?”

“No, thank you. I’ll just be a moment changing the bandages.” He replied. Nurse Redheart nodded and left us alone, closing the door behind her.

“Now then, let’s see how you’re progressing, shall we?” He turned on more lights and the room got brighter, easily out doing the small amount of light coming in from the setting sun. I sat up so he would have better access. 

“No that’s alright, you can lie back down.” He said. I let myself relax as he pulled up a stool to sit beside me. “Feeling better than this morning I hope?” I nodded. “Great, then let’s see how you’re doing under the bandages.”

I felt the wraps fall limp as he peeled them away. “Well, well! You’re healing up pretty quickly, almost can’t see the incision we had to make! Let me just clean the area a bit and we won’t have to worry about any more wraps for you.”

I felt a damp cloth brush gently against the soft skin of my neck, before another dry one absorbed the excess.

“Alright, let’s see how the inside is looking.” He said, strapping a strange object to his head. He flipped a switch and the object began to glow brightly. “Alright, now open your mouth wide for me.”

I did as instructed, I could feel a slight stretching sensation but nothing too painful. I watched from around my muzzle as the doctor peered into my maw.

“Still a bit swollen, but we should be able to remove the breathing tube.” I thought for a moment, I actually was breathing a bit on my own now, the air over my tender throat stung a little. 

“Alright, I’m going to remove the tube. Just lay still and it won’t be too bad.”

I was confused, what won’t be-AH! It feels weird! I could feel every inch of the tube sliding out of my throat. It felt far longer than it actually was, and when the last of it was removed I had to suppress a gag and swallow several times.

“Th… That…” I tried to speak but my throat wasn’t willing to corporate.

“Pretty weird?” The doctor asked. I nodded in reply. “Yeah, just about everypony feels the same way.” His horn glowed and the sound of water running met my ears for a moment, followed by a glass of water floating towards me.

“Here you go, just sip it till it’s gone and don’t stress your throat.” I nodded and grasped it in my magic.

I pulled it closer and sat up straighter, then tilted the water into my mouth. At once the cooling freshness quenched the fires in my throat, soothing dried out parts I didn’t know could be dried out. I couldn’t help but take a few larger gulps. The sudden pain from doing so forced me to stop but the water was so refreshing. It was like… uh, I couldn’t think of an analogy, but something about being very thirsty. I passed the cup back to the doctor.

“M-More…” I croaked. My voice sounded strained and broken, the doctor took notice as well.

“Sure, not a problem.” I leaned forward and watched him; he refilled it from a sink on the other side of the machines. “But don’t try to talk just yet, you had ruptured your vocal chords after all.”

He passed the water back to me and took another sip, the feeling just as heavenly as before.

“Okay, so were past the worst of it now, I’m going to give you a few pills to help sooth any pain for a bit, and would you like a book to read to pass the time? I doubt you’re going to be able to keep sleeping, you’ve been resting close to thirty six hours.”

A book? Book… Book book book… Aha! A thing to read! I want a thing to read! I smiled and nodded at the good doctor.

“Perfect, I’ll be gone just a moment.” He stood and let himself out.

I kept thinking about what a book was, it seemed to strike me with a bit of familiarity, like it was something I needed… but I couldn’t put my hoof on it. I tried to think, books had words. Words that could hold wisdom, knowledge, and power. Wait, power? What kind of power? Words don’t have power!

Anyway, the words were written on paper, like the ones I wrote on the clip board paper. But that was just a paper, not a book. Unless… Unless a book is lots of papers with words on them? Yes, that must be it. But if it’s just a lot of papers wont they get all jumbled up? You would need something to bind them toget-Binding! Books have binding to hold the pages together! Ha hah! I’m so smart! Then there’s a cover to help protect the pages! Yes! That’s it! It’s a cover made of pony skin!

Wait, what? Pony skin books? Pony hide? Leather? Somehow I doubt that books have that as a cover, unless I’m thinking of something else. Wait, what’s this… I think I remember something, was it… was it one of the shards from that dream? Yes, perhaps it was… I remember a book now, one made of pony hide. Where had I seen it? I feel a sense of importance about it… Perhaps the doctor has one?

The door opened and I looked to see the doctor returning with a cart filled with books. It struck me just then that there could be more than one book available for reading, but as I looked them over from across the room I could tell that none of them were the one I was looking for. I felt a shiver, as though something crawled along my skin. I needed to find that book from my memories, it seemed to be calling out to me, needing me to hold it, to read-

“I hope you’ll find something here to your liking.” The doctor said as he pushed the book cart up to my bed. “We’ve got a few of the older Daring Do books, Hairy Trotter, The Mocking Foal, and some other horror classics like Frankenhoof, Village of the Blanks, and the bat pony Drinkula.”

I nodded and used my magic to grab a few titles, I’ll have to look for MY book once I’m healed up enough to go search for it. In the mean time I’ll just make due with a few of these. I pulled out a few at random and wound up with that Hairy Trotter and one with a Pegasus called the Lightning Thief or something.

The doctor wheeled the cart out as he returned to the hall as I opened the first book about Hairy. I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointment, like I picked the wrong book. I leafed through the other one quickly as well, and just like the first it wasn’t what I was looking for. With nothing better to do I began reading Hairy Trotter.





Hours later I was rolling around on the bed in laughter, who knew books were this hilarious!? I especially like the main character’s aunt, uncle, and cousin. Making him live under the stairs? The best! I should do that! Oh, right, no home. And the teenage dragon Draco was pretty cool too, I wonder why the bood doesn’t focus on those guys? Oh well. Regardless, an earth pony learning magic with a secret society of magical earth ponies was quite hilarious. They held their horn in their hooves and called them wands!

My laughter ended abruptly as a series of coughs racked my body. Once that was done I had another drink of water and set the book on the stand. I wasn’t too tired but I was able to nod off once again.





I was back in my dream space, but it was different. Along with the dust and shards were now a few complete windows. One of which was the doctor that took care of me, and the other was my imaginings of the Hairy Trotter book. But, oddly, there was a large shard attached to the Hairy Trotter memory, it appeared to be a book’s cover, but I had no idea what it was other than a vague idea that I should find it.

Fine! If my mind thinks I should find the stupid book then I will! I glanced around to see if that blue mare was back, but I couldn’t find her. With the rest of the night ahead I floated up to and delved through the window to dreams of Hairy Trotter and slept with a smile.
> The Mission
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dawn came and so did my consciousness. My room was on fire with the vivid orange of the morning sun, and as I sat up in bed I realized I must be a morning pony. Changeling. Whatever. My throat was a bit dry again but I solved that with a quick drink of water.  My body was feeling tight and sluggish today, probably from lack of movement, so I tried to get out of the bed.

I tossed the sheets off me and looked over the side of the bed. I realized something I didn’t quite notice before, the bed was rather tall and I couldn’t see any hoof holds. Sheer boredom compelled me to go for it, so I laid on my side, mindful of the wires and tubes still connected to me, and reached down with my rear right leg as far as I could.

It was no use, I couldn’t feel the floor. I tried to climb up but my struggling pulled the sheets loose and I slid further off the side of the bed. I panicked and pulled harder, causing the sheets and blankets to pull free and I fell! For barely a moment before my back hooves touched the floor. I stood there with my forelegs gripping a bundle of blankets for a few moments, the floor was barely out of reach, and I had made it down safely.

With the hard part out of the way I checked the edge of the bed, there was a bar about mid-way up that could be used to climb in and out of the bed easier, I’ll have to remember that. I traced the cables and tubes to the series of machines, but was unable to determine if I could move the machines with me. Instead I looked at the length of the wires and tubes to see if they were long enough to walk around without breaking anything, and was sadly disappointed.

I had barely enough length to walk around to the other side of the bed, where I was able to peer into the basket out of curiosity. There were several envelopes with well wishes and some candies. Overall I was disappointed, don’t know why. Am I greedy? No, feels like I was expecting something else. I pulled the balloons closer and looked at them lazily. Yep, they are balloons. 

My ears perked as I thought of something, why didn’t I look out the window?! It might trigger a memory! I reared up and placed my hooves on the window ledge and peered outside for the first time. The view wasn’t overall great, but I was able to see a small park and a few paths leading to a smallish town, the thatched roofs and a few taller buildings and a tree being the only buildings I could see, but it was enough. I don’t know how long I stood there gazing down at the ponies in awe.

“Ahem, enjoying the view?”

I look behind me to see the doctor smiling at me. “I got bored.”

“I can see that. Come on over here and hop back on the bed so I can look at you.” He said as he started fiddling with the machines.

I did as he asked and using the bar I saw I was able to climb up without any issues. Once I was settled the doctor checked my throat again.

“Looking much better, we can go ahead and take you off the IV and the monitor, but I would like another blood sample for the lab for screening, just in case there is anything else that might happen in the future.” He said, pulling out a weird tube with a needle poking out the side.

“How’s that work?” I asked.

He pressed the needle into a tube by my ear, “Basically we closely examine the blood for any diseases, infections, or low blood sugar and other such things.” He stuck a tube inside the other tube and I was able to see green blood pump into it and fill it up. He repeated it with a few more small tubes and set them in a box.

“And we’re done! Let’s get you disconnected.” The wires were removed easily, they were held to my chest with sticky tape. But the tubes were weird, they ended in a long needle that was deep inside the base of my ear. It felt weird when it was removed. Also a bit of blood shot out, that was pretty neat. The doctor was quick to place a bandage on it.

“That should stop the bleeding shortly, you can take it off in a few hours. Other than that you are free to go.” He said.

“Uh, go where?” I asked.

“Twilight offered to let you stay in her spare room at the library, if I recall she’s in the waiting room at the moment.” He said. I nodded and climbed out of the bed. 

I left the two books, one un-read, on the stand and gathered the basket with balloons in my mouth. I didn’t know which way to go at first but the doctor pointed me down the hall and mentioned something about an elevator to the first floor.

I had no idea what that was, but I did my best! I went to the end of the hall and before me was a pair of metal doors. I pressed against them but they refused to open. I set the basket down and looked over the door and the metal frame, there appeared to be a panel on the left with the two triangles I saw on the bed. I needed to go down to the first floor, so I pressed the bottom one.

…

Nothing is happening. I pressed it several more times to no avail. I sighed and picked up the basket to find somepony, but as I did there was a ‘Ding!’ and the metal doors slid apart! They seemed to lead to a mysterious small room. I hesitantly entered and looked around. There was a hoof rail along the wall, and a panel of glowing numbers. I pressed 1 for the first floor.

There was another ‘Ding!’ as the doors closed, locking me in the tiny room. I looked on in confusion, what was the point in this? Suddenly the pit of my stomach dropped out as I felt lighter. The feeling only lasted for a moment before another ding rang out and the doors opened revealing what could only be the entrance to another world! Or the first floor. Probably the alternate dimension though.

I bravely stepped forward into the hall and was met with stares and odd looks. I stared back at them, basket in mouth, and I walked down the hall. After a few moments the ponies returned to whatever they were doing and I could care less. Luckily there were signs helpfully pointing out the direction to the waiting room and various exits, so I made great time.

I walked into the entrance slash waiting room area to see several more ponies waiting on the various chairs. Some impatient, others injured in some way, I came upon the realization that I had no idea who this Twilight pony was.

“Girls, look! He’s here!” I heard a voice cheerfully announce. I looked behind me, ‘Who’s here?’ I thought. I turned back around to meet a pony nose to nose. Not knowing what to do I stared into those blue eyes idly wondering who this was.

“Pinkie! Give him some space!” The pony in front of me shimmered in purple as she was dragged back, revealing she was indeed pink and overly happy, going by her large smile.

“Sorry about her, you get used to it. Anyway, my name is Twilight Sparke, and these are my friends, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.” She pointed out two other ponies, a colorful one and a white one with a strange mane. It needed something… but I was unable to put my hoof on it. Oh! She’s still talking!

“There’s also Apple Jack and Fluttershy, but they both had responsibilities to attend to.” She said. 

I wondered what duties they had, “Are they guards?” I asked out loud.

“Um, no, AJ is a farmer and Fluttershy had to tend to a wounded animal.” She explained.

“Oh.”

“So, what’s your name?” Twilight asked.

I shrug, “I don’t know, but I had a cool dream about a blue flying unicorn that said my mind was shattered and I had to fix it somehow. Let’s see… I think her name was Lumpa?”

“You must mean Princess Luna, and she’s not a dream. She has the ability to enter the dreams of ponies and help them with their nightmares.” Twilight said.

“Yea she’s pretty cool,” Rainbow said and started to fly in front of me, “But you are pretty cool too! Not as much as I am, obviously, but you look like a bug pony!”

“Rainbow Dash! You shouldn’t be so rude! He is what he is, and that’s that!” The white one, Rarity, said.

“Geez, I was just saying he looked like a cool bug pony.” Rainbow defended.

I thought for a moment about bugs, yes, I liked bugs, I think. Ill explore more on that later.

“So if you’re not a bug pony, what are you then?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m a changeling.” I said matter-of-factly.

“And… all changelings look like bug ponies?” She asked.

“Uh, I guess so?” I shrugged, not really knowing if all changelings looked like I did.

“Okay girls, now that introductions are out of the way, let’s go to the library!” Twilight said happily.

“Hey, can I ask a question really quick?” I asked as a though occurred to me. “Can I see the place where you found me?”

“Hmm, well it is still early, and I guess we can stop by Zecora’s and she can see your doing better.”

“She was the one that found me, right?” I asked. Twilight started leading us out of the hospital and down the road my room overlooked. I looked back at the hospital and found the window to my old room; it appeared the nurse was changing out the sheets on the bed. I saw her glance my way, so I smiled and waved, which she returned. I shifted my attention back to Twilight.

“Yes, she was. It was weird though, almost like she wasn’t sure what to do. Anyway, im sure she’ll be happy you’re doing alright.” She said with a smile.

“OH! OH! CAN I COME!?” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly

Twilight giggled, “Yes Pinkie, you’re welcome to join us. How about you two?” She asked Rainbow and Rarity.

“I would love to darling, but I had just enough time to visit this morning. I'm working on a new line for Sapphire Shores and our little changeling friend needs something formal to wear.” She said and patted my head. It made me feel strange, like weightlessness and being both hot and cold. As soon as she stopped the feeling faded as well. She gave me an odd look, maybe she felt it as well?

She shook her head, “Anyway darlings, I’ll catch up with you all tonight for the thing at the place.” She said to Pinkie with a wink, who nodded in return in a completely non subtle way.

“Ta-ta, darlings~!” She sang out. I watched her leave, she was an odd one.

“Well… its about time for my mid-morning nap, but I think I’m up for an adventure in the haunted forest!” Rainbow said, giving me a weird look and making odd noises and waving her arms over her head.

“…. I think she needs to visit the doctor, something is wrong with her.” I said to Twilight.

Rainbow gave me a sour look as Twilight giggled, “I think she was trying to be spooky.”

“Yea yea, let’s see you do better!” Suddenly for whatever reason my mind was able to conjure up an image of a frightful monster. I had no idea what it was but it would scare me! Unfortunately I doubt it exists, much less use it to scare Rainbow. Maybe I can craft it?

Pinkie giggle-snorted, “Silly Rainbow, it takes more than that to scare even a filly!”

I looked to Twilight as they started to bicker about how scary they can be. Twilight appeared to be glaring at a list of some sort and drawing a number of revisions to it. After a moment she sighed and rolled it up.

“I had to make a few changes to the schedule and the tour, but I was able to drop a few of the less important items, like visiting the lake and other spots that can be seen another day, so we have plenty of time to visit Zecora and the spot she found you. Since its morning, most of the monsters should have gone to bed by now, so there shouldn’t be too much to worry about. And if Zecora comes along then we should be perfectly safe!” She exclaimed.

“Okay.” I said. Wasn’t really sure what else to add but she nodded and continued down the dirt road.

We seemed to take a more direct route, as we didn’t pass through any crowded areas. There were a few houses here and there, made of wood, some with thatch roofing and others with more modern shingles. They seemed to be painted every color imaginable, we even passed a noisy house with two separate color schemes that seemed to split the house in half. It made my eyes hurt, I found myself thinking the colors should be toned down so they weren’t as bright. Maybe that was why the white one with the blue hair wore the eye shades?

Soon enough we were crossing a small bridge that lead to a rather large cottage, and all around us swarmed just about every kind of animal I could imagine. This memory thing was pretty peculiar, ask me five minutes ago what a rabbit or a squirrel was and I wouldn’t have an answer, but as soon as I see one it’s like, duh, this is a squirrel and that’s a rabbit. It was quite the sensation, suddenly remembering things you didn’t know you forgot.

As we neared the hut I made sure to look around as much as possible. Unfortunately my frantic head movements drew attention to myself.

“Yo, um, dude, are you alright?” Rainbow asked me.

“Yes, im trying to see as many animals as I can.” I said simply and kept looking around. I found snakes and badgers and a few different kinds of fish, some more birds, an iguana, a salamander, and so many more! At this rate my memory will be complete!

“Oh, uh, okay…” Rainbow said and gave me a weird look. I have no idea what she is trying to do with her face. I look back with a blank stare for a moment before going back to seeing more animals. OH! An owl!

We reached the house at some point and Twilight said, “This is Fluttershy’s cottage, since we were going to pass by to get to the forest I thought we could introduce you and see if she wanted to come as well.”

“Oh, I thought this was that Zecora's place.” I said. I stopped looking around and focused on Twilight and the door.

“No, she’s a zebra, Fluttershy is a Pegasus.” Twilight explained as she knocked softly on the door. “Be careful though, she’s nervous around new ponies and is kind of quiet.”

I nodded as the door creaked open; I was able to make out a yellow furred head and a big blue eye, and a pink silky mane. Our eyes met, and I have no idea what happened. She was suddenly squeezing the life from me and blabbing about how glad she was that I was better. I didn’t know if she was killing me or trying to help me.

“Fluttershy!” I heard Twilight call out as my vision began to fade. We were encompassed by a purple glow and a moment later we were separated.  I coughed and wheezed in thanks as my vision returned and the strange feeling coursed through me again.

“I’m so sorry Mr. Beetle, I didn’t meant to hurt you I was just so worried and when I saw you I was so relived! I’m sorry…” she trailed off and looked like she was about to cry. 

I was still wheezing, my throat was suddenly very sore and I think I coughed up some blood… yep, that’s blood. “T-Twi-” I tried but I was coughing some more. I settled for slow breaths and lowering my head, letting the blood drip out my mouth instead of inhaling it.

“Oh no! I think his stitches opened a bit! Rainbow, get him inside! Fluttershy, do you still have some of that potion?” Fluttershy had tears flowing down her face at what she had accidentally done, but she nodded her head and rushed back inside.

Rainbow and Pinkie carried me in and laid me on my back on the couch. There were more animals inside, I could hear them, but I was concentrating on not inhaling my own blood.

I heard the rustle of feathers and hooves then, “Here, Mr. Beetle, drink this, it’ll stop the bleeding.” The soft voice of Fluttershy said. 

I was helped sit up as the rim of a cup or bowl was touched to my lips. I slowly drank the fluid, it tasted like honey and had a bitter twang of some herbs. Soon the pain faded to a dull throb and breathing was easier, it also didn’t trigger another coughing fit. 

“There there, rest easy Mr. Beetle. The potion stopped the bleeding to allow it to heal, and I added a few herbs to make it heal a bit faster, so you should be back to normal in about an hour.” Fluttershy said as she propped me up on some pillows. I nodded in response, already used to not talking.

"I’m Fluttershy, by the way, and I’m sorry about hugging you too tight… Can you forgive me? Oh, and is it alright if I call you Mr. Beetle? Just for, you know, until you remember that is.” She asked, looking deeply into my eyes. She was sincere in her apology; I don’t know I just knew, so I nodded to both questions. I’m not going to hold a grudge just because she got caught up in her feelings, I’m not a monster. And Mr. Beetle sounds cool.

The effects were immediate, she cheered up almost instantly and rubbed her cheek against mine, causing that annoying feeling again. I’ll have to look into that feeling later. For now though, it looks like everypony is setting up a tea set for some reason.

“Oh, are we having tea? I’m sorry, I haven’t made anything yet!” Fluttershy apologized.

“It’s alright Fluttershy, we didn’t originally plan on heading out this way, if we did we would have let you know.” Twilight said as the others nodded.

“Oh gosh, well thank you for bringing Mr. Beetle by so I could see he’s doing alright, I’ve just been so busy lately, I think the season’s pollen is affecting the critters more than usual this year.” She said as Twilight prepared the tea.

I relaxed as they had their little tea chat, my throat feeling all tingly from the potion as I listened. Fluttershy detailed what she had been doing, “The flu going around doesn’t seem to respond to any of my normal medicine, and it’s even starting to affect the plants. I’m at my wit’s end Twilight.”

Twilight thought for a moment, “Maybe it’s not the flu? If it’s affecting the plants as well it might be a different disease entirely.”

“I thought about that too.” Fluttershy flew to her bookshelf and returned with a thick tome, “Here, this one was the closest I could find.”

Twilight gasped as Rainbow read over their shoulders, “The Black Death? Plague? What’s that?”

I looked to the left to see Pinkie chilling on the couch with me, off in her own little world. 

“What do you mean, ‘what’s that’?!” Twilight suddenly exclaimed, “It’s a terrible disease that almost took out all of Prance and spread across the entire eastern continent!”

“Oh… what do you mean by took out? Like a little cough?” Rainbow winced back from the glare directed at her from Twilight.

“’Took out’ as in dead, Rainbow, hundreds of millions died during the epidemic, the streets were littered with corpses as the sick wandered in pain waiting to die. Luckily this was over 1500 years ago and hasn’t been seen since, thanks to new medicine to fight it, until today anyway…” Twilight looked back to the book in dread.

“But Twilight, it’s not exactly like it, it’s only affecting the animals so far, and there aren’t any blisters or boils forming. It’s the plants that lead me to believe it’s like the plague though, here,” Fluttershy flew off to another room and brought back a glass jar, inside was what once must have been a rose, now sickly black and covered in what looks like tar.

"This rose was from the Everfree, up to yesterday it was just fine in its little vase. I saw it start changing color and put it in the jar, and now it’s like this.” She said, placing it on the table by the book. “Looking at the description, the plants affected by the plague turned black and shriveled, but this one seems like its melted almost, so it’s not the plague detailed here in the book.”

Twilight hummed as she examined the flower, “Mind if I test it quick? It can stay in the jar.”

“Of course.” Fluttershy consented. I heard the sound of munching, I looked over to Pinkie Pie to see that she was indeed chowing down on popcorn like this was the most entertaining thing ever. Frankly I was growing bored.

Twilight set her horn alight and a wide beam shot out and seemed to pass through the rose. It trailed up and down the length a few times before she gasped in shock and cut out the magic.

“Twilight? Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, I’m fine, Thanks. I’ve got good news and bad news though, this isn’t caused by a virus or a deadly bacteria.” She said carefully.

“Oh thank goodness!” Fluttershy sighed in relief.

“So what’s the bad news? The rose is nasty?” Rainbow asked.

“No, the disease affecting the plants and the wildlife is actually magical in nature, and I’ve identified it as being caused by excessive amounts of black magic. Rainbow, gather the girls, I’ll get the elements. We need to search the Everfree, find the source of this corruption, and purify it with the elements!”

Rainbow let out a battle cry and flew out the door, Pinkie cheered and bounced on the couch, Fluttershy tried to hide, and I was completely confused.

> Corruption
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

While we were waiting for the others to arrive I was given the low-down, as Pinkie said, as to what was going on. Apparently Twilight and her friends, the ones I’ve met and one other, are the Bearers of ancient and powerful artifacts called the Elements of Harmony. Needless to say that sounded pretty sweet. They had used them Twice already, first to purify Nightmare Moon back to Princess Luna and again to return a chaos god to stone. I wanted to hear more, but the others started showing up.

Twilight was the first to return, rocking a golden tiara with her butt mark on it. Cutie mark. Thing… Whatever. She also passed around a few necklaces to the others, each with a shiny gem in the shape of their cutie butt marks. We were still waiting for Rainbow so she still held a lightning bolt mark necklace, one with a diamond shape, and a red circle shape, probably for that apple pony they mentioned a few times.

“Wait! Hold on!” I asked, thankfully my throat was doing okay now, causing them all to stop packing things and look at me, “What are those butt mark cutie things actually called? It’s messing up my inner dialogue.”

“Cutie marks, silly! It’s our special talent!” Pinkie explained. “GASP! You don’t have a cutie mark! Is it because you’re not a pony?” I shrug, “Anyway, did you get to the part where you ask to come along?”

Now I was the one to gasp, “I hadn’t thought of it!” I should ask to come along! “Can I join you guys? I can see really well in the dark!” I pleaded.

“Well, it could be dangerous, and having somepony who can see in the dark would come in handy. Even though its day time right now the canopy is still really thick, making it darker. And having an extra pair of hooves would be good too. So yes, I think you should come join us!”

“Yay!” I cheered as Pinkie grabbed me and we spun around. That strange feeling returned again but I ignored it.

“UNHOOF ME YOU RUFFIAN!!” someone screamed outside the door, a moment later it was kicked open and in flew Rainbow, who was carrying Rarity in her fore hooves, and they were followed by an orange pony with a large hat.

“Rarity! AJ! Thank Celestia you’re here so soon!” Twilight said as she gave the new arrivals their own necklaces. “AJ, I don’t think you’ve met him yet but this is the changeling we told you about,” I waved and smiled, “He doesn’t remember much about anything, much less his name, so Fluttershy is calling him Mr. Beetle for now.”

The AJ pony seemed to look me over with a piercing glare. It made me feel nervous for some reason. “Ah don know Twi, this critter is given me the heebie jeebies somthen fierce!” She said in a strange way. Perhaps she has a speech impairment?

“What, you think he’s lying?” Rainbow asked, giving me one of her signature strange looks.

“I’m not lying, I haven’t checked but I’m pretty sure it’s hard to fake unconsciousness and severe throat injuries. And my mind was looked at by that Luna pony even! Besides, that’s a weird power anyway.” I said, my voice growing hoarse near the end.

“Mr. Beetle, you shouldn’t talk so much, you might hurt your throat again.” Fluttershy scolded.

I merely nodded back in reply.

“Nah, he aint lyin about any ‘o that, it’s somethen else…” She trailed off. So I just meet Miss Orange Apple pony and right away she starts accusing me of falsehood. The nerve! As I’ve come to the conclusion that I didn’t like that one, I also realized something about myself: I hate being accused of things. Or something. Maybe I’m honest? Hmmm… We’ll see.

I squinted my eyes at her and stuck out my tongue. Ha! Silly rainbow pony thinks she has all the weird faces, mine is better!

…

AJ’s as well as the others’ reaction was not as I had hoped; they gave me weird looks in return.

“… Anyway, we should get going. I’ve packed up a few books from home and left Spike in charge of the library, Fluttershy and Pinkie have packed up a bunch of snacks, so we should be good to go.” Twilight said as she lifted a tome from her bags. I got excited thinking it was my book, but sadly it wasn’t.

“I remember reading about a spell that can sense and track black magic, so once we pick up Zecora I’ll take point and guide us to the source. Rainbow, you’re our eyes above us, Mr. Beetle your behind me keeping a lookout ahead, and AJ your bringing up the rear. With your rodeo skills I’m confident you’re our best defense in case of an ambush. All clear?”

There was a round of cheers from the other ponies and a ‘yeehaw’ from the orange one. She’s really weird. With that done they charged out the door and set off at a quick pace. I didn’t feel like running, the idea of working hard with my throat like this didn’t seem like the greatest idea, so I imitated Rainbow. I unfolded my clear wings and I felt my back clench and release in a comfortable manner, causing my wings to buzz at an alarming speed. A second later I was flying! 

Luckily flying must have been instinct or a motor memory like walking, saving myself the embarrassment of plowing into the ground. I buzzed along just a few feet over the ground and quickly caught up. Flying was actually pretty fun, I was able to zig and zag with almost no effort! 

“Pretty sweet moves there Beetle!” Rainbow called to me. I watched her zip around as well, and I noticed something. She had to twist and contort her body and flap her wings at the exact moment to propel her forward or up. On the contrary, my wings allowed for forward, back, up, down, and sideways movements no matter which direction my body was facing. Rainbow seemed upset I was able to casually spin in a circle and keep pace with everyone at the same level. I could only laugh.

Soon enough the path we were on ended and the forest began. Everypony slowed to a walk and we fell into our formation, Twilight in front, then me, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, and AJ at the back with Rainbow flittering about overhead. We walked along the narrow path, one traveled several times as suggested by the flattened grass and leaves. 

The ponies seemed to be on edge for some reason, the coast was clear and it wasn’t that dark. The only ones not affected were Rainbow and Pinkie.

“Aw yea! Anything comes at us, I’m totally going to take it out!” Rainbow boasted and clopped her hooves together.

“‘Take it out’ as in a slight cough?” Pinkie asked with a large grin. I chuckled a bit as I recalled Rainbow’s earlier confusion.

“No! I mean beat it up so it knows not to mess with The Rainbow Dash!” She exclaimed. The others shot her a look, “Or my friends!” Rainbow added almost as a side thought.

“Rainbow, you should keep it down, we don’t want to wake up anything.” Twilight said as she continued to lead us deeper through the trees. 

Rainbow eventually started going on edge like the others, while Pinkie seemed constantly happy. I didn’t understand it; there was nothing spooky or scary about this forest. It’s just trees, grass, bushes, and roots. We did stumble upon some blue flowers; they looked enchanted so I stayed away, the others having the same idea.

The remaining journey to this Zecora was largely uneventful, but when we arrived at her hut, it took my breath away. The design was absolutely beautiful, it was a hollowed out tree with tribal masks of every size positioned all around! I decided my house is going to be even cooler someday, but wasn’t sure about the theme. I mean, masks are cool, but I know there is something that could be even better.

Twilight walked up to the door and knocked, causing it to swing open a bit. “Hello? Zecora? Are you home?” She pushed to door open further and went inside. I followed, wanting to see the interior design.

This place was a mess! Shame on this Zecora! Dust everywhere! There were of course more tribal masks along the walls, but the main piece was the stupid large cauldron in the middle of the room. There was also a long series of shelves overflowing with jars of stuff, like herbs and bones. But the room smelled absolutely terrible, so bad one of the ponies actually threw up. Rude. It was the white one, Rarity, but she won’t admit it I bet.

The cause of the odor was definitely the cauldron. I peered inside; it was half filled with green and blue muck, possibly a potion in the making gone to waste. I felt the outside of the cauldron, it was stone cold, the ash beneath showed that the fire died out and wasn’t tended to, and was cold as well.

“I don’t think she’s been in here for a few days.” I said. I told them why I thought as much. “And the dust is all over, undisturbed until we came in.”

Twilight looked around, seemingly worried now, “Oh no, you’re right, Zecora definitely hasn’t come back home, and the last we saw of her was when we found you, Beetle, but that was nearly five days ago!”

They all shared a worried look to each other, ponies and their looks. Their looking looks. “I don’t like this girls, but I think something might have happened to her, and I think this black magic might have something to do with it. Come on!” Twilight said with bravado. It felt a bit forced and I doubt she felt as brave as she sounded.

Seriously, what has these ponies in a funk? If the big bad monsters are sleeping there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. I decided to make my thoughts known, “Why are you all freaking out about the forest? It’s just a thick wood with possible territorial beasts.”

We were traveling back in formation again, though this time they all huddled a bit closer, I got that feeling in my gut again. “No, ya don’t understand, sugar cube. In this forest, the trees and the plants grow on their own!” AJ said as she constantly looked about.

“The wind blows without pegasi, and the clouds move on their own! It rains and storms here without help and there is no telling what might happen, making these the most dangerous skies!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Even the animals, from the manticore to the little bunnies, all govern themselves and run rampant and do as they please! Although I’m good friends with most of them, I can’t keep track of them in these woods.” Fluttershy said.

“It’s covered in icky muck!” Rarity complained again. Oh, did I mention that? Yes, constant complaints of filth, and being pulled away from her work.

“And normal magic doesn’t respond just right, like there’s background interference and it just makes my horn tingle.” Twilight said. I looked to her horn to see it softly glowing its magenta color as she tracked the trail of black magic. “But it’s definitely in this direction.” She said. “Let’s go.”

We all followed after her, and I did my job of keeping an eye on our surroundings. It seemed like the farther in we went, the darker everything got. And I don’t mean ‘lack of sunlight’ darker, more of a ‘the corrupted plant from earlier’ darker.

“I’m seeing more of those sick plants, they aren’t as bad as the one in the jar but they are changing color. The bark on a few trees is turned black too.” I said.

“Oh no, the poor things. I bet Zecora is busy trying to find a cure and that’s why she wasn’t at home.” Fluttershy said.

“I sure hope so. If the direction is right, I think I know where we are going to find the source.” Twilight said.

“Good, the sooner we finish this the sooner I can visit the spa.” Rarity said as she did her best to avoid everything.

“Well where is it Egghead?” Rainbow asked from above. She was noticeably much closer to the ground as she flew, I wondered if she was even able to do her job as she was maybe a foot above us.

“I may be wrong, but I believe the source is in or close to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.” Twilight stated.

“Oh good, for a moment I thought it was somewhere we HAVEN’T already beat up a bad guy.” Rainbow said with an annoyed huff.

“Silly Dashie, the castle is like the only building in the forest, why would a bag guy bother making another when one is already there for the taking?” Pinkie said cheerfully.

I thought over her words, I was pretty sure of what a castle was. Tall walls, stone, giant monsters, yea sounds about right. “She’s got a point. If it’s a nice enough place, maybe do a bit of decoration and repairs and you have a formidable fortress and defense.”

“Oh finally, we meet somepony who, er, some changeling?” I shruged, “Who appreciates proper interior designs.” Rarity complimented me. I was stunned, perhaps I pegged her wrong?

“Well I’m just thinking if I were to live somewhere I would want it to reflect my tastes and personality. That hut with the cauldron back there was pretty cool.” I said.

Yes, it did have its own voice, didn’t it? It may not be how I would decorate a room but I still appreciate the ambience.” Rarity replied.

Rainbow moaned and slapped her hooves to her face, wouldn’t that hurt? “And here I thought we met someone who was cool and didn’t care about frilly frou-frous on the curtains!”

“Rainbow Dash! There is more to decorations than frills on the curtains!” Rarity retorted.

“Well it seems to be your go-to idea of designing things!” Rainbow yelled back.

“I have to impress my clients, and frilly curtains happen to be in this season!” Rarity yelled.

I suddenly felt something change, the ambient sounds seemed to vanish as everything grew still… no, not everything, there was something out of the corner of my eye. I wanted to look, but that might alert that I knew it was there. “Girls?” I asked.

“Clients smilants, if it’s cool enough that’s all that matters, right AJ?” Rainbow asked.

“Ahm stayen out ’a this’n.” Applejack droned, this must be a common occurrence, but this bickering can wait!

“Shh!! We’re being watched!” I whispered harshly, trying to not make sudden movements.

“What? No we aren’t!” Rainbow said as she looked around, the others following suit.

I groaned and rubbed my temple, am I actually smarter than a pony? Almost as if in response the thing at the edge of my vision bounded forward and showed itself. As the girls screamed and scampered about I looked it over. I was hoping my memory would kick in, but I doubt it’s a common enough animal for that, if you could even call it that.

For one it was freaking huge, no way it should have been able to move that fast. Its body was like a large round ball, and it seemed to be made of long thick snakes entangling around themselves. Its eyes glowed red, and it had countless eye, there were just so many. The sickly black snake-like tendrils slithered and coiled around unnaturally. And then it revealed how it moved so fast.

The snake tendrils broke apart, revealing they closely resembled large worms, and formed long spindly legs ending in fierce claws. It gripped the ground in front of itself and pulled itself forward quickly. The new appendages seemed to have minds of their own, pulling the creature toward its prey before it seemed to know which pony it was going after.

I slunk back into the shadows and watched it hunt, waiting for an opening so I could… do… something? My eyes widened in fear, I was sure I knew magic! Why can’t I think of any spells?! Shoot! Now my friends really are in danger!

I leaped out of the bush and charged the beast, hoping to stab it on my horn. Before I got there, however, AJ pulled a rope from her bag and tossed it around where I would assume the head would be. I skidded to a halt and re-directed to AJ to help bring it down, but the beast make a sickly sound and the head separated from the body!

All our jaws dropped as the head, with its own set of wormy tendrils sped towards AJ. The body did this a few more times, several smaller monsters separated from the main body and headed towards us all, while the main body, now smaller but still rather large, focused on Twilight.

I didn’t have time to worry about the others as my own foe leaped towards my head. I ducked to the side and grabbed a stick in my hooves. It wasn’t quite long enough to use it as a staff so I wielded it in my right hoof like a club.

I looked up in time to see it flying at me again. I tried to block it but I missed and it hit me in the chest. “Gah!” I yelled as I smacked it away. My chest was now covered in multiple bites and scratches, not too deep but they really hurt!

I turned my attention back to the little beast; it made a really weird growling sound at me then jumped again! I was ready this time though; I managed to swat it out of the air! It made a squeak noise as it bounced off a tree, a few of the worms going limp and falling off the body. They shriveled and seemed to evaporate as the fell off the host.

With renewed confidence I bounded forward and started beating it with the stick, sending little worms flying every which way. I stopped what I was doing and gasped as the worms failed to cover the entire creature. It was a little bunny. The fur was gone and it appeared to be just skin and bone but it was a bunny none the less. The worms seemed to be protruding from the rabbit’s skin, leaving large gaping holes all over its body, but the worst part was the eyes, they were glowing red and glaring at me.

I could only watch in horrified awe as the worms re-grew from the body, quickly replacing the ones it lost. In seconds it was ready to resume the fight. I had to think of something, if the worms are able to regenerate at this rate, there was really nothing that could be done to kill it. The host body would have to be destroyed entirely, what could do that? A strong magic blast maybe, it might be enough to burn it all away-burn! We needed fire!

I needed to buy some time, so I was able to once more beat the snot out of the rabbit, causing it to lose its worms and get immobilized. I quickly assessed the situation of the others; AJ, Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie had formed a circle around Fluttershy, who was crying into her hooves and they fended off the other small worm monsters, possibly more rabbits, possibly something else, they were completely unrecognizable. 

Twilight wasn’t faring much better, she had resorted to a bubble shield around herself, and the larger beast appeared to be trying to stretch around the entire thing, almost like it was trying to swallow it whole.

I ran up behind to the other side that wasn’t swarming with worms, “Twilight! Twilight use fire! Burn it, it will keep regenerating we need to-” I cut off, Twilight was staring ahead at the monster, and I was now as well. 

It was quite the site, one that would cause anypony to flee in terror. I couldn’t see it from the back, but from this angle it was clear. A manticore, without its fur or mane, skin full of holes and stretched tightly over its skeleton, giving the impression it had been dead for a few days. Hitting home the dead suspicion, its lower jaw was missing, leaving its lower face and neck a gaping hole, from which protruded an even larger worm that was pressing against the barrier, and was slowly going through it as Twilight looked on in terror.

“By…” I didn’t know who to swear to, damn this memory loss! “Twilight!” I smacked the barrier with my stick. It did its job and got her attention, she spun around with a scream, possibly thinking another came from behind. “Use fire! Burn it!” I yelled.

I heard a twig snap and something crashed into my side. The familiar scratching and biting reminded me of my original foe, who looks like it had recovered and resumed its attack. I shook it off of me and resumed my battle, once again overpowering it with my mighty stick of doom. The fact I was larger and had a longer reach did not dissuade me from believing it was actually the stick giving me great power.

I looked up from my fallen foe to see the others were still goofing off with their circle, but I was glad to see Twilight drop her barrier as she blasted the corrupt manticore with a ball of flame. There was a small explosion and the fire enveloped the monster. It roared out, weather in pain or defiance I don’t know, and re-doubled its efforts of attack.

“I THOUGHT YOU SAID FIRE WOULD WORK!!!” Twilight yelled at me while doing her best to fend off the now on fire tendrils. How rude of her. It was obvious they were burning up; it was just a matter of time.

“It is! Just hold it off a minute!” I yelled back. I turned back to my little squirrel friend, it had almost recovered. I got into a golfing position and swung my stick into it, I was trying to be cool and knock it into the fire. I missed and it hit Twilight in the face, who panicked and set it on fire anyway. Success!

Twilight was too busy screaming and rubbing her face in disgust to properly congratulate me on a job well done, so I’ll forgive her. 

I ran up to the others and batted one of the small monsters towards Twilight. I missed and hit the manticore, setting it on fire. Success!

“Everyone! Hit them toward Twilight and the fire!” I called out.

“WHAT?! Don’t hit them to me!” Twilight yelled at me. Boy she’s rude when stressed.

The others, bruised and scratched up, didn’t waste any breath and kicked them all into the fire. By this time the large manticore had stopped moving, and the smaller ones died soon after catching fire. We gathered around and watched them burn, the black worms shriveling up as the body was turned to black charcoal. Aside from the manticore, the corrupted animals were another rabbit, a fox, a turtle, a cat, a dog, a pig, and even a fish somehow. Actually I think the fish was inside the manticore. Whatever.

“Well that was fun.” I said, trying to break the silence.

“Twilight, what the hay is going on here?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight sighed and turned away from the burn pile. I busied myself making sure it won’t spread; I wasn’t keen on dying in a wildfire, thank you very much. Fluttershy was helping too; her tears were wetting the ground.

“Twilight, did we just… kill, all those animals?” Rarity asked carefully.

“No, Rarity. I was able to see their true form, and they must have been dead for some time, a few days I would think. It was those worm things that re-animated the body, and they were condensed black magic.”

Everyone sighed with relief. I did too, the fire was dying down and there was no indication of it spreading.

Twilight shook her head, “But I’m afraid that this isn’t simply wild black magic anymore girls. It’s too strong; this is the work of an evil that hasn’t been seen in thousands of years, evil so terrible that even Discord and Nightmare Moon dared not use it. Girls, I believe we are dealing with a full blown necromancer, and possibly even a lich.”
> Dance of the Dead
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By my guess it was now about noon, but thanks to the thick trees it may as well have been dusk. Luckily there was plenty of light thanks to the impromptu bonfire of critter and monster corpses. Most of the ponies were busy comforting Fluttershy, while Pinkie was staring into the fire. I could have sworn her mane was curly, perhaps she got it straightened?

I tossed some more sticks and fallen branches onto the fire and found some marshmallows in one of the food bags I was digging through. There was an image of a pony spearing it on a stick and holding it over a fire. I looked from my stick, to the bag of marshmallows, to the fire, to my stick again. I shrugged, why not? It might be fun.

A moment later I was sitting next to Pinkie in front of the fire, stick and marshmallow in one hoof with another stabbed into the dirt for Pinkie whenever she stops staring off into space. I sat there for a moment, bobbing my marshmallow in the fire; there was just something truly mesmerizing about how a marshmallow bursts into flames. I was able to blow it out easily enough, it was a melted glob about to fall to the ground, so I stuck it into my mouth to see how it tasted.

Other than it possibly burning my tongue, it tasted like fluffy sugar, with a hint of wood and ash from the fire. Overall it wasn’t bad. I speared another and returned to roasting marshmallows while listening to the others.

“It’s okay Fluttershy, there was nothing that could have been done, I’m sorry.” Twilight consoled and rubbed her back.

“Yea, they were dead anyway.” Rainbow said, not really helping her feel any better.

“I’m sorry, but that’s what makes the magic so evil. Reanimating the dead, and in such a horrible manner, using them as mindless puppets, even Discord wasn’t that low.” Twilight comforted.

“B-b… but they were alive…. They were alive and in terrible pain!” Fluttershy sobbed. They were alive? Hardly, nothing could live like that.

“Fluttershy, their bodies were moving but they were dead, nothing could survive that level of corruption.” Twilight reasoned.

“Y-you can’t talk to the animals, Twilight, but I heard them! They were crying out in pain, they were so scared and didn’t know what was going on!” She said and fell into Twilight, sobbing once more.

“Well at least we ended their pain, right?” I asked as I munched on another marshmallow. Wow these are addicting!

Fluttershy nodded into Twilight’s shoulders, “I… I wish there was a better way… then setting them on fire.”

“Don’t worry Fluttershy, once we find the source I’m sure the Elements will reverse the effects and fix all this.” Twilight said reassuringly. The others echoed her statement.

Fluttershy nodded and pulled herself to her hooves, “Thank you, everypony. This is no time to be sad; I should be assertive to help my other animal friends!” She said proudly.

Her statement seemed to have some sort of effect on Pinkie, whose hair exploded into its messy curls. She spun around and smiled at Fluttershy, “Well said! Let’s go kick some evil patootie bootie!” She said and hopped off, directly away from the fire and the marshmallow I had given her. Are ponies just naturally rude?

I ate both out marshmallows and re-sealed the bag for later, then gathered my beating stick. Its effectiveness in the battle was superb, I couldn’t just leave it. I rejoined the others as they got back into their little formations, I took second place again.

“Alright girls, if memory serves the river should be up ahead, then the gorge not far beyond that.” Twilight said as we set off into the woods once more, the burning bodies slowly burning themselves out.

I kept watch as we marched; it was easy with my night vision. The trees and plants were looking more and more like tar and there was a smell not unlike death in the air. I hate to admit it but even I was now going on edge a bit, but more out of caution and not out of a fear of plants growing unattended.

Suddenly I heard something off in the distance, but I couldn’t make it out. “Do you hear that?” I asked. Twilight and the girls screamed in terror while I stood there confused. “Keep it down! You’ll let everything know where we are!” I said harshly. How old are these ponies? I’m sure they are old enough to know better than to freak out over little things.

“Then don’t scare us like that!” Rainbow said from a place in the trees.

“You all scare way too easily.” I remarked.

“No we don’t! I wasn’t scared! I thought it came from up here so I went to fight it!” Rainbow backtracked. She’s such a liar.

“Anyway, I think I heard something up ahead, but I couldn’t make it out.” I said.

“Heard something? What did it sound like? Like those monsters?” Twilight asked me.

“I don’t know; we’re too far away.” I replied. I perked my ears as I heard it again, the others thankfully grew silent as I listened. “It sounds like… a moan? Like ‘Ohhh… oh oh’ or something.”

“It’s up ahead, there’s only one way to find out. Come on, everypony keep ready!” Twilight said and started leading us closer to the sounds. “The river is this way, and that sea serpent could be in trouble!”

“Oh good heavens! I do hope his mustache isn’t in jeopardy again!” Rarity said randomly.

“What are you talking about?” I asked; this topic has gotten too random.

“Some sea monster a while ago was throwing a fit because Nightmare Moon cut his mustache, it was so dumb! It would have grown back, no reason to act like you were going to die over it!” Rainbow huffed in aggravation. I see she’s no longer flying and is now tucked securely between Pinkie and AJ. “What!? I’m not scared!” She said when she saw me staring.

“Pah-lease, Rainbow. He was having a fashion crisis! His reaction was perfectly reasonable!” Rarity said, defending the odd sea monster.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

We all ceased speaking and froze, ears perked as the moans from before were now clearly heard. We looked to each other in bafflement, someone was humming? Singing?

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

We continued through the trees and bushes cautiously, the singing growing louder as we drew nearer.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

There was a pause, and as we broke through the tree line to the riverbank we heard the pause was filled in with humming. Unfortunately it didn’t bring to light any memories, and by the looks of the others they haven’t heard of this song either. Oh! I recognized those facial expressions! I must be getting better acquainted with the ponies!

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

The singing resumed! We looked along the riverbed for whomever was singing, but the sound seemed to echo among the trees, making it nearly impossible to tell where it’s coming from.

Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide.

“Oh! Oh! Look over there! I found him!” Pinkie exclaimed, pointing to a gondola steadily making its way upstream.

O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide.

“A gondola? Oh my! I’ve always wanted a tour of Prance on one of those, so romantic!” Rarity commented as we made our way to the shoreline.

Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by.

Up close, the water was black and seemed to consist entirely of that black sludge, and there was no sign of a sea monster. He must have fled the area like the other animals.

Twilight looked to the others, “We have to wave him down, I don’t think he’s aware of what’s going on in the forest, and he’s in danger!”

The others wasted no time in calling out to him to get his attention, while I stood there and watched. I just got out of the hospital and while it was nice I don’t plan on going back because I was stupid.

“Oh! Yo hohoho! Ahoy there ponies!” The figure on the boat called back cheerfully. “Isn’t it such a beautiful day today? Yo hohoho!” The gondola changed course and started making its way closer to us.

As it approached, something seemed… off. It was taller than a pony and seemed to be bipedal and was wearing a very old set of moldy robes. The closest thing I could place it would be a diamond dog from that Hairy Trotter book I read. But there was also something about it I couldn’t quite place…

“Oh my! It has been so very long since I have seen ponies in the flesh! Yo hohoho!” He laughed. What a strange guy.

“Uh, Equestria to boat guy, ponies are all over. You can’t go that long and not see one.” Rainbow said.

“I am just so happy to see living ponies again! Yo hohoho! Oh, but I don’t have eyes.” He looked up and locked eyes with us, revealing just who and what he is.

My jaw dropped as the others screamed in horror, he was defiantly a diamond dog, and he should defiantly be dead! Patches of fur clung to his skull over his empty eye sockets, other than that he was bare bones. Literally. The front of his robe was torn open allowing us to see his ribs and spine supporting him. His paws were long bony appendages that held the long pole he was using to steer the boat.

“Skull joke!” He called out in laughter. The gondola slid up to the shore side and the skeleton dog hopped from foot to foot in an odd dance. “It’s such a beautiful day to be alive! Yo hohoho!” He called out again.

I looked around to see that the others had abandon me. He’s clearly not a threat, he’s just bones! He’ll probably fall apart after a solid blow. Then we can put him back together!

“Ah, though I’m not sure what you are.” He said as he stood before me. 

“I’m a changeling.” I said simply.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!” He screamed and covered his face in cowardice. 

…

“What’s a changeling?” He asked. I heard the sounds of hooves meeting face behind me. So they didn’t leave me!

“I don’t know. I’m dealing with a memory crisis.” I said.

“Yo hohoho, then what brings you out this way, if you don’t mind my asking?” Before I could respond he started dancing around again, “It’s so lovely speaking with someone again! Lovely! Lovely! Yo hohoho! It’s making my heart burst with joy! Ah, but I don’t have a heart. Yo hohoho!”

I couldn’t help but laugh along as well. “You’re a funny guy!”

“Yo hohoho! When I was alive I was a bit of an entertainer! Thank you!” His skull made him look like he was always smiling, but the joy in his voice was unmistakable.

The other ponies started cautiously poking their heads out, so I decided to keep talking. “So how did you die?” I asked. 

There was a pause, “You don’t just ask a skeleton how he died!” Rarity yelled then ducked back into the bush.

“Oh, I don’t mind. Yo hohoho, there was a storm while I was trying to return to the castle, I’m afraid my gondola tipped over and I was dragged under the water. I awoke the other day buried in the mud. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I had become a skeleton! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Even though I don’t have any.” He said heartily. “To think that I was given a second chance at life! Yo hohoho! Happy days!”

“So… you don’t know why you’re alive now, just that you are?” I heard Twilight ask from behind me. I turned to see that she and Pinkie had come out of hiding. “Do you feel compelled to follow orders or serve a master? In other words, you have free will?”

“Yo hohoho! Of course I have free will! Look how free I am!” With that he started dancing around once again.

“Do you know if there are others like you? The dead but alive?” She asked him.

He paused mid leap and brought a bony appendage to his chin… jaw. “I don’t know, when I came around and accepted that I was dead, I decided to rebuild my gondola and do what I always loved, ferry along the river. Aside from some weird black stuff I haven’t seen any others.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the truth is that this isn’t a miracle. Well, the fact that you retained who you are in every sense of the word is, but you were brought back by a powerful necromancer, and I’m sure it’s strong enough to qualify as a lich.” Twilight said, watching his reaction carefully. 

“And that’s why you asked about my free will, then, to see if I was an agent of this evil… Truth be told, I had feared as such, but I was just so happy to be alive I thought that as long as I could live it wouldn’t matter how I came back to life. Then, I assume you intend to do away with this evil?” He asked, almost as though he was sad.

“I’m sorry, I really am, but this isn’t how things are meant to be. He has to be stopped.” Twilight said sadly.

“I know… but what will happen to me? If there are others like me, what will happen to them? Will we just turn to dust, to never feel the sun’s warmth again?” He asked.

“In the few accounts of recorded necromancy that I’ve read, the… those raised by the magic die when it is dispelled. You won’t be dust; your bones would fall into a pile. You would die again. I’m sorry.” Twilight said. She sniffed and wiped her eyes of their tears. I looked and saw the others do the same.

“You know, even if it was for just a few days, I wouldn’t trade the joy I felt being alive for anything in the world. I must say that I agree, and if it means my death then so be it, this evil must not exist in the land.” He said. “Please, I guess you could say this is my dying wish, though I’m already dead, to allow me to assist you in some way. Yo hohoho!” He said with a laugh.

“How can you be so happy? Knowing what’s going to happen to you?” Pinkie asked, her hair straight, looking somber.

“Well, I’ve already died once, so why get worked up over the inevitability? I have enjoyed the past few days, but I’m still a citizen of her majesties…” He trailed off suddenly, but Pinkie seemed to recover from her slump. “Her majesty! Good heavens, I had completely forgotten! What year is it? How is the kingdom? Are the king and queen well? How about their darling daughters? What are-”

“Whoa whoa, slow your roll there tall guy!” Rainbow interrupted. “Twilight, egghead him!”

There was a collective pause, “What?” we all asked.

“You know, give him a history lecture. But make it snappy we got things to do!” She huffed in annoyance.

“Oh. Well, it’s currently year 1001 of Celestia’s rule, as we call it. 1001 years ago she came of age to take her rightful place on the throne after the king and queen passed of old age, but that night her sister grew corrupted in her jealousy and set out to forcefully take the throne as Nightmare Moon. She was defeated and banished to the moon for a thousand years, when she returned and my friends used the elements of harmony to free her of her corruption. Luna now rules with her sister in New Canterlot, now referred to as just Canterlot.” Twilight summarized.

“Oh, I see. We had assumed the natural born alicorns had long lives, but a thousand years? And to have such a tragedy between them? Though it pains me that they were put through such an ordeal, I’m glad they are now happy together.” He said.

“Thank you for the lecture, Miss Twilight.” He said with a bow.

“Oh, no problem at all, Mr…” Twilight trailed off.

“Oh my! I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself! Yo hohoho! I am Binks! I operated a gondola and even had a small trading business! It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” He said and took off the top of his skull like it was a hat, and tipped it at them.

Everyone was silent for a moment until Twilight shook herself back to the present, “It is a pleasure, this is Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy is hiding, and our new changeling friend, he doesn’t remember his name so we call him Beetle.”

“A pleasure! Pleasure! Meeting you all makes me so happy to be alive! Although I’m dead. Yo hohoho!” He laughed.

I smiled and laughed along with them as well, but for a moment I felt something on the tip of my memory, something to do with names, but I couldn’t quite place it. Regardless, I’m sure it will come in its own time.

“Actually, I’m kind of glad we ran into you. We’re following the trail of the black magic to the source, and I’m certain that it’s near the old castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Or Canterlot as you would remember it being called, and we need to cross the river.” Twilight explained.

“Ah, say no more. But why not just take the river to the market instead of walking through the forest?” Binks asked.

“The river flows that close to the castle? Nopony has been able to map it out; I was going by memory and the direction of the signal.” Twilight said as we started climbing into the long boat.

“Of course it does, where do you think our trade industry came from? Oh, and don’t rock the boat, I don’t want to drown! Yo hohoho!” He said as he pushed us off into the water, clambering in himself afterward. He used the long pole to expertly push the boat along its course, the riverbanks on either side scrolling past.

While the others chattered amongst themselves I busied myself with examining the boat. It seemed to be made of a bunch of sticks held together with mud and tree sap, but was incredibly sturdy. “Did you make this?” I asked Binks.

“Of course! If I had a cutie mark it would be boat related! Yo hohoho!” He said cheerfully. “Let’s see, where was I? I usually sing for my passengers, you may have heard a bit of it as I was coming upstream.”

I saw Fluttershy whispering with Rarity, “That would be splendid darling! That song sounded lovely!” Rarity said.

“Oh! Such a cute mare saying such things makes my cheeks flush red! But I don’t have cheeks. Yo hohoho!” He joked.

“Skull joke!” Pinkie cried out.

“Skull joke!” Binks echoed. “Yo hohoho! This song was one I wrote in regards to my business, it’s helped turn sad, teary faces into bright smiles! I’ll be happy to share it with you!” 

“I love making ponies smile!” Pinkie cheered.

“Yo hohoho! Then learn it well, my dear!” With that he cleared his throat and began to hum the tune.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho… Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho… Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.
Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide.
O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide.
Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by.

Bid farewell to weaver's town, say so long to port renowned.
Sing a song, it won't be long, before we're casting off.
Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease,
Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends…





Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

He trailed off as the song ended; Pinkie seemed to have an enormous smile as she devoted her attention to the song. The others seemed moved as well I would have to agree, it was a masterpiece in its own right.

“Binks? Binks, is that you?” We were pulling up alongside the ruins of a dock when we heard a voice call out, “My word, it is you! I never thought I would hear that lovely song of yours again!”

We turned to see who was talking, and the girls screamed out of fear in unison, with Binks joining them. I was more confused by what I saw, it wasn’t ringing any bells.

“A GHOST!” They screamed. I thought it over and came to the conclusion that it was a type of undead, much like Binks.

“Oh come off it! And shut up Binks, you’re dead too!” The ghost said. She was an earth pony mare that floated casually above the ground. She was completely white and parts of her form trailed off into wisps. She didn’t have many other features, unfortunately.

“Oh! She’s right, I am dead! Yo hohoho!” He said as he docked the gondola on the shore. “That voice though, it sounds familiar… Are you Caster? The mare from the fish market?”

“The one and only! Wow, it’s so good to see you again!” She said cheerfully and went to hug him, but phased right through him. “Oh, right, I’m a ghost.”

“I’m just so happy to see you’re back too! Though I don’t have any eyes. Yo hohoho!” He turned and pointed out the others, “These are some lovely mares that asked for my assistance! Girls, this is my old friend Caster!”

They all nervously waved, but Pinkie seemed to be having a blast, smiling and giggling. I busied myself with poking my hoof through the ghost mare. Other than feeling a bit colder, there was nothing to feel. I waved my hoof through her a few more times.

“And what happened with you anyway? You disappeared after that storm; we found your boat trashed by the river but no sign of you anywhere!” She exclaimed, not noticing my antics.

“I believe I was at the bottom of the river.” Binks said simply. “Why are you a ghost then? I at least have my body, though not much of it.”

“Well, it was a few years after you died when the young Princess Luna went all evil. There was a big fight between her guards and Celestia’s, and basically a civil war broke out. Luna saw her side losing and entered the fray and started blasting ponies with her magic. I saw a few others have their bodies disintegrated, and going by the light I saw I have a pretty good guess what happened to mine. There are more than a few ghosts floating around so her rampage must have lasted a while. AND WILL YOU STOP THAT!?” She suddenly yelled at me. I don’t know why, the fact I had most of my body through her as I was playing around was irrelevant.

“None of that was mentioned in the books…” Twilight said with a thoughtful look.

“Books? Like history books?” Caster asked. “Going by how much the city is in ruins and the decay of even the more preserved ponies, we’re guessing it’s been at least a few hundred years.”

“Just over a thousand, actually. And when you said others, you mean the dead brought back to life with all their memories?” 

The ghost mare nodded, “A thousand? Wow, those morgue ponies know their stuff; a few of us look nearly alive!”

“Who all was brought back?” Binks asked. Oh yea, he might have had someone he cared for here, wouldn’t that be nice if they were re-united post death?

“Pretty much everyone who died and was buried nearby, everyone who died when Luna went nuts, and everyone in the crypts was brought back too. We’re all hanging out in the inner city at the castle trying to decide what to do, a lot are still freaking out and wanting to check on their relatives, disbelieving we’ve been dead all this time. The guards are working to hold some sort of order and denying anyone to go out to the other cities until we work something out. It’s a real mess.” She explained.

“And what of my wife, Pamela, is she among them as well?” He asked.

She shook her head, “I’m really sorry, but after you disappeared she left town and returned to her parents. I don’t think she died here.”

“Ah, I see. In that case I hope the rest of her life was full of happiness.” He said sadly.

“I’m sorry, but we’re here because an evil lich is on the loose, and I’m certain your revival is related to it. We came to stop its abuse of the natural order, and unfortunately we’re pretty certain that stopping it will undo the life it has given you all.” Twilight said.

“What?! So you decided to kill us all again?! Most of us are happy to be alive!” The ghost yelled. “Binks, did you know about this!?”

“Yes, I did, and they are right.” He said, causing the mare to choke on her words, “This lich is evil, think of all the living ponies it will go on to harm. Why should we be so selfish that we would let others die, when it’s us who should be dead? Is this the legacy of our generation? If it was going to be hard to be accepted into the rest of the world as undead, how hard do you think it would be when the world knows that it’s essentially our fault that such a monster was still loose?”

She mare started sobbing into her hooves, “But… but I don’t want to go away again! I like being alive, talking, laughing, I don’t want to return to the darkness!”

“What if we just make someone else the lich?” I asked. Everyone turned to look at me and Caster silenced her cries. “Well, I mean, if the lich is the problem, doing evil things, why not have someone good be the lich? Then the evil would be in control, and they don’t have to die.”

Everyone turned to Twilight, “You can’t just ‘make a lich’! A lich is a being possessed by evil magic! You would have to convince the magic to take you instead, where it would just continue what it was doing in the first place!”

“Well I think we should do something to help them, maybe the lich could be reasoned with?” I asked.

“Are you crazy?! You can’t just walk up to a lich and ask it to be good!” She retorted.

“Well I’m going to. And I don’t think I would be comfortable helping to kill off an entire city. Let’s try and find another way to fix this then.” I said seriously.

“Wow Beetle, where did all those guts come from?” Rainbow asked me.

I looked around, “What guts?”

“… She meant your courage darling. Honestly I’m sure we were all thinking the same thing, right girls?” Rarity said.

“You got it sister!” Pinkie said, “Now let’s go turn those frown upside down! It’s time for a ‘Welcome back to the Living’ Pinkie Pie Party!”

“I’m sure a party will liven up their spirits, yo hohoho!” Binks agreed.

Then with the ghost leading the way, we marched into the City of the Dead.
> Challenges 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The old castle ruins were massively overgrown, vines and bushes and wild trees growing all willy-nilly. If it wasn’t for Binks and Caster pointing out the remains of various market stalls and buildings I never would have noticed we were in a market. As we progressed, listening to Caster and Binks, I realized that history was pretty fascinating. They were speaking of events that happened so long ago that there is no longer any record of it, yet here were two who lived through that era and spoke of little things from back then, things I doubt anyone examining the ruins would uncover.

“And then Spark, the goon, tried to steal from Zipper’s stall but we caught him and the guards cut off his hooves! He never stole again.” Caster finished. Fascinating!

“Um, I’m sorry I don’t think I heard you very clearly Miss Caster, what was it you said about his hooves?” Rarity asked.

“The guards had them cut off, all four. The law was like that for thieves if they were caught ten times stealing. It goes from a fine, to being whipped, jail, then mutilation and jail, then death. He had plenty of time to change his ways but a zebra can’t change their stripes as the saying goes.” Caster filled in for us. The others looked a bit squeamish at the idea.

“Why would he steal though? Was he poor?” Twilight asked.

“He was a street rat, would rather risk the punishment than work for food. We all tried to hire him, we look out for our own you see, but he was just a lay about and it didn’t stop him from stealing anyway, guess he found a thrill in it.” Caster said.

“It’s true, I had him on my deliveries a few times and he didn’t care to do any work. I don’t think he deserved what happened but you can’t help those not willing to help themselves.” Binks added as well.

“Did he come back too?” I asked them.

“Actually, now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve seen him. Him and a few of the royals as well as several others of noble blood. I think that’s the main reason the entire city is in an uproar, the leadership is missing.” Caster said with a frown.

“Well, if you’re referring to the Royal Crypts they were excavated and the kings and queens were re-located to New Canterlot, its part of the gardens behind the castle.” Twilight supplied.

“Well that’s one question answered I guess.” Caster said. We started to hear the murmuring of a crowd of ponies, “Well gang, we’re here. And between us, keep the information about taking out the necromancer a secret; we don’t want a riot on our hooves.”

The others nodded and I did as well, the less interference the better. As we rounded the final corner the remains of the main plaza spread out before the remains of the castle. All around were the reanimated dead: zombies, skeletons, and ghosts were everywhere. Many had separated from the main crowd and formed groups of their own, speaking of various things or just happy to be alive and with their loved ones once more.

Needless to say we were quickly spotted and a shushed murmuring fell upon the crowd. Whispers of “Who are they?” “Is that Binks?” “Should I be feeling hungry?” rolled through the mass of undead.

One of the skeletons in armor trotted up to us from the left, I waved to him with a smile. He/she nodded at me before addressing Caster, “What is the meaning of this!? Not only have you left the perimeter but you brought back outsiders!” Ah, it’s a he.

“Come on, you can’t expect us to just dilly dally around forever, and they were already in town thanks to Binks!” Caster exclaimed. “Besides, they might be able to help. Twilight here knows her history and the Princesses are still around, we might be able to get them to help us out.”

The guard looked to each of us, settling on Twilight for a longer moment than the others… I wanted to be the most interesting! I waved again and was ignored.

“Alright...” He sighed, “Come on, I’ll take you to the commander. This way.” The guard turned and we followed him off to the left. The other ponies huddled around in the square and watched us for a moment longer before returning to their conversations, now ripe with rumors and hear-say about the living ponies among them.

We came upon a makeshift command center of some sort. There were no walls or anything that really set it apart, except there were a lot more guards and one of them was in gold armor instead of the dull silver of the others. He seemed to be studying the ground rather than paying attention to the new arrivals, but from what I could see he was one of the more preserved ponies, skin stretched taunt over his bones and still had patches of grey fur and mane.

“Admiral Starry Skies, several ponies have arrived at the castle and they believe they may be of some help, not to mention they seem used to our… affliction.” Our guide said, earning the attention of the gold pony. He looked up to us with his empty eye sockets, his teeth on constant display as his lips had shriveled and shrunk back.

He studied us for a moment and looked back to the ground. I flew up a bit to get a better look, it was writing, in a style I wasn’t familiar with. He grabbed a stick and added a few more lines and then turned back to us. “Thank you Corporal Steel, head back to your post.”

The Corporal saluted and trotted off where we came while Twilight stared at the Admiral with a lot of intensity. “A-Admiral Starry Skies!?” She burst out as the guard approached.

“… Yes?” He asked in confusion.

“Oh my gosh, what an honor! My brother and I read all about you as foals, you’re a legend and a hero! Even my brother joined the guard and became a captain wanting to be a hearo like you!” Twilight gushed out and started blubbering.

“Right, well, I’m not sure what the books say about me, but I’m no hero, I’m just a pony doing his job. After that I’ve seen, what I’ve done for the protection of ponies, it’s not something I want to be rewarded with or reminded of. But I am glad that we weren’t forgotten.” Twilight blushed and looked at her hooves.

“Now, you seem to know me, I’d like to know who you are and how you can believe you can help us.” He said.

There was a bit of silence as Twilight was still staring at her hooves. Oh well, my time to shine! “Hi there, I’m… Beetle. I’ve lost my memory and we’re kind of helping each other. And I’m a changeling. This is Twilight, Flutters, Pinks, Hat, Colors, and Diamond.” They glared at me. “Sorry I get confused, Twilight Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Apple…Jack? Yea. Rainbow and Rarity.” I said and re-pointed them out with a grin.

“I see, it’s nice to meet you all.” He said and nodded to each in turn.

“And we’re here to find the source of the necromantic energy causing the dead to come to life and the animals to become monsters and put a stop to it.” I added. The others face hoofed.

“So, you’ve come to put a stop to this phenomenon?” He said with a sigh. “I see our research is correct, that this is the unnatural work of evil. Have you told this to anyone else?”

“Just you Binks and Caster.” I said.

“I see. Come with me.” He said and trotted off toward the castle with us in tow. On the way he explained, “We believe the one doing this is somewhere in the eastern tower, likely at the top-most floor. I’ve already sent an attachment of guards to investigate the tower, but all we hear are screams followed by silence. I’m not about to risk more of my men until we find out what we’re dealing with.”

“Who’s this ‘we’ you keep talking about?” I asked.

“The arch mages. The library doesn’t exist but they have been doing the best they can.” He said.

“So you want us to investigate the tower and put a stop to the danger, even if it means everyone here will die again?” I asked.

He nodded. “I’ve discussed it with the mages and my commanders, and we came to a seven to three agreement that this is the best course of action. We shouldn’t exist, much less be so alive. The current theory is that the one behind this has the power, but lacks control at a range. In other words, the ones I sent into the tower have had their minds stripped and are truly undead slaves. We would rather be dead for good than a slave of some power craved monster.” We arrived at the base of the tower. “This is the farthest we can go. Caster and Binks, I’m sorry but you must remain here.”

“But I wanted to throw everypony a party!” Pinkie whined.

“I’m sorry, but you coming here was unexpected and the longer you dawdle the better chance that the enemy will find you and try to stop you before you get a chance to. This way you have a chance of catching him by surprise.”

I nodded, “You got it, but are you sure you don’t want to live again?”

“If we were able to live freely without an evil like this tainting us, I’m more than certain that everypony would prefer that, but it’s impossible. Once the evil is purged, we will die.” He said with a sigh. “Oh, and as a final wish, please burn our remains. I don’t want this to happen ever again, next time we might not be so lucky. Good luck.”

I nodded and started making my way into the tower. “Alright girls, let’s be ready for anything.” I heard Twilight say from behind me. I started up the stairs to the left as they kept talking amongst themselves. I ignored them and kept moving.

There was something strangely… familiar, about the energy in the air. I couldn’t put my hoof on it, but I felt I was on the verge of some important discovery. I came upon a door to my right, and up ahead the stairs have caved in and was blocked off by a wall of fallen rock. I tried the door and it opened easily enough. 

It led into a large room that looked recently decorated. It was in far better shape than the rest of the town by at least a thousand years. There was a massive fireplace with a roaring fire, a spiral staircase leading up in the far corner, and various furnishings and statues. But by far the most interesting thing was the two ponies standing on either side of the fireplace.

They seemed to call out to me, almost like they were begging for something even though they remained still. I walked in, the door sealing behind me as I trotted up to the one on the right and looked her over. Her coat was pale and almost see-through and with a full mane and tail of fiery red, while various vines and flower sprouted from her body.  She seemed to ignore me for the moment, but I couldn’t help but say out loud, “Wow, you are beautiful.”

This seemed to snap her out of her trance. “W-what?”

“I-I don’t know, It’s just there’s something about you, I can just tell you’re special. And I mean that honestly… But there is something else too, something disturbed… that shouldn’t be there…” I started looking over her very carefully, and I was starting to make out a sort of aura around her, like a constricting snake.

“… You shouldn’t be here; the master is keeping an eye out for undead and hasn’t seen you yet, so please just run away… I don’t want to be forced again!” She begged, her eyes became filled with actual moisture as she was about to cry. “I don’t want to kill more of my friends or anyone else, please, just go!”

I was only half listening, concentrating more on the new energy. My horn was glowing a soft red, getting gradually brighter as I attuned myself to the frequency subconsciously. The trail of energy seemed to be flowing from something on the fireplace. I opened my wings and followed it.

“Are you even listening?! If the master finds you he’ll force us to kill you!” She exclaimed.

The energy was coming from a box of some sort. “What’s this?” I asked and pointed at it.

She turned as much as she could, “It’s our music box… Our father gave it to us when we were foals; it’s our most precious object…” As she trailed off I was able to see a second string of energy to the other mare, almost identical but with a blue mane and tulips instead.

“I see…” I looked at the box closer; it too had an energy flowing to it from the ceiling. “It looks like the Lich is using the box as a medium or a relay to control you both.”

The blue-maned mare scoffed, “Explains why we can’t leave the room.” She said.

“Well, I don’t know my name, but my friends call me Beetle. What are your names?” I asked, making casual conversation as I continued my examination.

“… My name is Rose, and that’s my sister, Flame.” Rose, the one with the red mane and the roses. Easy enough to remember. “We served as royal advisers to the king and queen and looked after the princesses as well.” She said.

“So what do you think about the current events? The dead coming back with their will and everything. Looks like the entire city is re-populated with everyone who was buried nearby.” I said. The energy seemed to pulse before my eyes, it might be possible to just sever the main feed, but it could be rigged to backlash in some way. I reached forward with my will, a small, thin, red line now joining the main current.

“… Everyone is back?” Flame asked.

“Apparently some of the graves were moved but there are a few thousand outside in the courtyard.” I said. The thin trail of energy trailed out of the box towards both the mares, I split it off and looped it back up to the main feed while still adding more and more energy.

“I think it would be wonderful to see everypony again, but with the master growing in power, I don’t think we’ll have our wills for much longer…” Rose said.

“… I’m here with some friends, they intend to defeat the master, the Lich, and end the spells in effect in the area to return the balance of life and death. We think everyone is going to return to death.” The amount of energy feeding into the box was now about half my own, and half the Lich’s, and the energy going to both mares was reduced by half as well.

“So that’s their plan, what’s yours?” Rose asked me. 

“My plan? It’s pretty simple, really.” The red energy had completely taken over; leaving my magic to convert the Lich’s into my own and feed through the machine before dissipating. As the last of the Lich’s control over them faded, they fell to their knees with a gasp. “Stop the Lich, save the city.”

They slowly pulled themselves to their hooves, “We’re free! You… you freed us! Thank you! Oh thank you!” Rose said and pulled me into a hug with her sister. Her body, while cooler than Twilight and the others, was rather nice against my chitin and her smell was more of an earthy fragrance rather than that of a corpse, almost like she was un-alive than undead.

But as much as I would have enjoyed remaining in the hug, I let go and stepped back. “Both of you should leave the tower, tell the admiral in gold armor what’s going on, and tell my friends to hurry up. I think the Lich will notice your both gone pretty soon and try and take you again.”

They nodded, “Yes, you’re right, thank you so much for this Beetle, and I wish you the best in finding your solution.” Rose said as they headed out the door.

I turned and looked at the spiral staircase; it didn’t seem too rickety or rusted. I started climbing to the next floor and disappeared into the ceiling without issue. After a moment of darkness I emerged into another large round room, very similar to the other one, but unlike that one the guards weren’t ponies.

There were 4 suits of armor, purple, blue, yellow, and red, and all with glowing yellow eyes and swirling darkness. The moment I entered the stairs sealed behind me, trapping me inside with them. As one they readied their great axes and let out a battle cry.

“MMMMMMRRRRAAAAAAAAA!!!” They screamed as they charged me at a slow walk.

“…. Really?” I trotted around them just out of range and investigated the next staircase. It was closed; steel bars too close to squeeze through encircled the stairs from floor to ceiling. “Hey! That’s cheating!” I said.

“URRRAAHH!!!” I leaped to the side just in time to feel the axe imbed in the stone floor a hair from my hooves.

“Whoah!” I leaped back; a single swing could cut you in half! I pulled my Stick of Doom from my bags and readied myself. “Looks like I’m stuck here for now, so I’ll have to take you out!” 

you're heart... it's incessant drumming disgusts me... i will silence it... as i did... my own...

A voice echoed through the room, it could have come from the armors approaching or the room above me, but I didn’t have time for that. I’ll have to believe the others are able to handle themselves and I’ll have to take out these guys alone.

“AAAAHHHHH!!!”

“GRUAHHH!!!”

“HAAA!!”

Like a weird chorus they roared and swung their massive weapons with abandon as I ran around them. Suddenly there was a heavy ‘CHUNG,’ I turned to see one of them had horizontally swung into a comrade, causing the armor to take heavy damage.

“Oh, you’re morons. That makes this easy then.” I put my stick away in my bag and focused on my evasion and reflexes. I scooted closer and caused them to swing at me. I dodged away, and like I had planned they had attacked themselves again. I repeated this a few times, it wasn’t hard with how slow they moved, must be a lot of armor. Or a poor reanimation. 

‘CHUNS!!’ A crash sounded out, and purple let out a battle cry as it shed the plate armor, leaving just a thin layer of chainmail supported by the dark magic. It lowered its head at me and charged! Without the armor it was now much faster, and by how deep the axe still slamed into the stone, just as powerful as it was!

I managed to back away to get some breathing room as it took a moment to pull the axe out of the floor. My eyes widened with a dangerous idea. I pulled out my trusty stick and charged the lightly armored one. It pulled the axe from the floor, turned toward me, raised it above its head as it reared back, then I side stepped as the axe smashed down into the floor. I took advantage of the opening and swung at it with all my might. It grunted. 

I stared at my stick in shock for a moment and then smacked it again, breaking the stick this time. “Um.” I stepped back as the purple armor rose back up with the axe. Suddenly a vicious pain exploded on my right side as I was sent flying to my left, crashing into the wall with enough force to shake the dust from the ceiling and dislodge a few bricks.

I lay there for a moment just trying to come to terms with the pain. It felt like my entire right side was broken, possibly even the ribs under my shell. And all my other everything hurt like hell from hitting the wall. And my throat felt like it was ripped open again, great.

I spat out a thick glob of green blood and tried to move, the purple one was rapidly approaching with the others slowly bringing up the rear. Red’s axe was dripping fresh green blood. I tried to move aside, but my body wasn’t responding. Just breathing was nothing but a painful struggle, causing me to cough up more and more blood. I probably got a punctured lung. Yay medical bills!

With nothing else at my disposal, I focused on the energy like I did downstairs, but much more forcibly. A red tendril entered my vision and floated over to the purple armor, then pierced through it. It didn’t seem to do any damage though, but I kept willing more and more of that red energy into it. Soon enough the armor was right before me, raising up with its axe to deal the final blow. I closed my eyes and focused as hard as I could, wishing for a miracle…!

…

The blow never came. I opened an eye to see the axe a few inches from my body, and the armor had stopped all movement. The yellow eyes were replaced by blue ones as a red energy now occupied the armor. It now seemed uninterested in me, and turned around with its axe at the ready.  

I watched in confusion as it charged toward its allies and started cleaving them with its axe. The others didn’t seem to register that their ally had turned against them and was currently making short work of their armor. If my jaw wasn’t probably broken in several places it would have fallen open in awe as my new ally just eviscerated the other three enemies with a few good blows.

Oddly, as each of the armors fell, the dark energy escaped the armor and slithered along the floor towards me. I could only look on in terror as my new ally did nothing to stop the advance. I tried to blow one of them away but only succeeded in causing myself a painful and bloody cough. 

The darkness reached me and was absorbed into my body at a rapid rate, then every passing moment the pain in my body felt less and less, to the point where I was not longer coughing up blood or forcing myself to take breaths. I felt a bit tired and sore, but the searing pain was no more.

I slowly got to my hooves, green blood had formed a rather large puddle where I was laying, some even trailing down from my impact with the wall, and I was covered in it as well. I ignored that and felt my right side, it was really sore and was pretty bruised in some places, but my chitin was healed back up and my ribs didn’t feel shattered anymore.

“… Did black magic just heal me?” I looked to my new ally who was just standing there doing nothing. It gave no response.

I looked to the stairs instead, still encased in their steel bar prison. “Think you could do something about those bars at least?” I asked, not expecting a response.

“HURRAAAA!!!” It yelled and charged the staircase. It swung with a horizontal strike that cleaved through the bars, and then followed it up with another swing in the opposite direction. The now severed bars clattered to the ground as the armor went back to its idle position, leaving a very large hole to access the stairs.

“Yea, that works.” I climbed up the steps, once again vanishing into the darkness with my new ally lumbering behind me. Soon enough we reached the top, it seemed like a large, ornate hall with red carpeting, and more stairs leading upwards at the far end. I heard a number of hoof steps from behind me.

I tuned to see more stairs, leading downwards, possibly to the other levels, and running up towards me was my group of friends! They looked a bit beat up but nothing too bad. I smiled and waved as my ally stood silently.

“Hey guys!”

“Beetle!” They cried out and tackled me in a hug.

I gasped in pain and pried them off, “Owowowow!!! No hugging! Ohhh….” I tenderly rubbed my side as they looked me over with worry and disgust, just now noticing what I was covered in and what they squished into their fur. Twilight didn’t waste any time and whisked it away with a cleaning spell.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Mr. Beetle, what happened? Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“I took an axe to my side. One like that.” I pointed to my ally’s weapon and they stepped back in shock. “There were four of them, not too fast but I got careless. I don’t know how, but as that one was about to kill me it just stopped and turned on the others. It helped me out of the room too.”

Twilight lit her horn and examined it, “Amazing, you managed to replace the spell and magic that was controlling it with your own! Even I can’t do that!”

“… and that means?” I asked. Personally I would ask how I recovered from a must-have-been fatal wound, but whatever.

“It means that it’s an extension of your will, you can control it!” She exclaimed. “How did you do it, I have to know!”

“Oh, neat. And I just tried really hard.” I said. “Did you meet Rose and Flame?”

Twilight glared at me and grit her teeth.

“Um, yes, Twilight was still discussing battle plans when they ran into us and told us what you did for them, then they showed us this secret passage that would lead to you. I liked them, they were really nice.” Fluttershy said.

“And don’t forget the monsters we kicked to the curb along the way!” Rainbow yelled in excitement. “I was all like, ZOOM! BAM! KAPOW!”

“And was that before or after you wet your fur like a scarred filly?” AJ jibed.

“Wowzers, really?! I don’t remember either of those things happening!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“S-shut up! I wasn’t scarred! I was just… surprised!” Rainbow defended with a heavy blush.

“What was it?” I asked.

Twilight snapped out of her angry glare, “It was an abomination, summoned from Tartarus. Imagine a ten foot tall blob of body parts and tentacles.”

“… That sounds way more fun than going against four of these guys!” I exclaimed and pointed at my minion.

“Not really, it liked to grab and crush us with its strong grip.” Rarity explained. “But these armors look far more impressive and gorgeous! Though it looks like it’s missing pieces.”

“It is; they all had full plate, this one’s broke off.” I explained.

“Anyway, we still have work to do. Rose said the one behind all this is on the top floor at the end of these stairs. Let’s get going!” Twilight said. We followed after her, galloping to the stairs with my minion managing to bring up the rear with heavy hoof beats clanging against the stone.

The stairs lead up to a large decorated door, which Twilight wasted no time in opening. It led outside to the roof of the tower, the area was in great condition and the expanse of the forest could be seen for miles, including Ponyville and a castle on a mountain. But standing in the center with its back turned to us was the Lich.

It looked like a larger version of a pony, with darkness bubbling off of its form. It was wearing silver armor and holding a staff covered in runes. Its mane and tail were snow white, fluttering on an unfelt breeze.

no questions remain unanswered, no doubt's linger. you are equestria's greatest champions. you overcame every challenge i lay before you. my mightiest servants have fallen before your relentless onslaught, your unbridled fury. is it truly righteousness that drives you? i wonder... 

The Lich turned and faced the city on the mountain, scowling at its presence.

you trained them well, celestia. you delivered the greatest fighting force this world has ever known, right into my hooves, exactly as i intended. you shall be rewarded for your unwitting sacrifice. watch now, as i raise them from the dead, to become masters of the scourge. they will shroud this world in chaos and destruction. equestria's fall will come at their hooves, and you will be the first to die. The Lich chuckled in a way that made my spine tingle. i delight in the irony.

It turned to face us and the others gasped at the black and white stripped face under the helmet.

FOOLS OF PONYVILLE! HEAR ME, NAIVE FOALS OF EQUESTRIA! TREMBLE, AND KNOW YOUR DOOM, FOR THE LICH QUEEN'S GAZE, IS FIXED UPON YOU!

> Revelations (21:6)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

APOCALYPSE!

The Lich Queen, as she called herself, yelled out and suddenly the expansive view of Equestria was replaced by the whipping winds of a hurricane. The intense winds whipped around us, bringing with them freezing water and small chunks of hail. I shielded my eyes against the storm and looked upon our enemy; she was floating above the stone rooftop now, laughing maniacally.

i will freeze you from within, until all that remains IS AN ICY HUSK!

The temperature suddenly dropped, and the edges of the tower began to freeze over, the ice made its way closer to us. I looked back to the others; they were afraid, barely holding onto each other as the fierce freezing winds bit at them.

“Twilight!” I called out, “Twilight! Use the elements! Twilight!” It was no use; she wasn’t responding or couldn’t hear me over the terrified cries of her friends. Instead I turned my attention to my minion, the ice was forming on its armor but it seemed alright. “Go and attack her!” I commanded.

The minion grunted as it broke into a sprint, shattering the ice over its body as it charged its former master, leaping into the air. The lich didn’t seem to notice the danger approaching, and was promptly slammed into the roof by a mighty downswing from my minion. I cheered it on as it landed hard, cracking the stone under the weight of its heavy armor.

But the Lich wasn’t to be undone; she was rising to her hooves too. Her armor took most of the impact from what I could tell, and engaged my minion with her staff. I could tell it wouldn’t last long, its armor was already half destroyed by the other armors. I turned away and attempted to tell the others what needed to be done.

Things were looking bad; ice had encased about half of their bodies and was slowly rising up. I did what I could, even going as far as yelling in their ears but they were unresponsive. I turned around as I felt my link with the armor die, it clattered to the ground in a heap as she rounded on me.

fool. watch as the world around you, COLLAPSES!

Thunder rang out as lightning leaped from the storm and struck the tower, causing entire sections to break off and fall away, greatly reducing the size of the battlefield.

WINDIGO! YOUR MASTER CALLS!

Suddenly from the storm emerged an elongated, ghostly horse spirit. It howled like the wind around it, blasting icy winds towards me and the others. I leapt to the side; it changed directions and charged at me. If I had a tail, I was more than certain that it would have frozen solid at this point.

I focused on what little magic I had discovered, forcing my red energy into the spirit. It seemed to twitch and writhe, as though fighting both mine and the Lich’s energies. I focused harder, pouring even more of my magic into it. The spirit slowed as it became under my control.

impossible…

I grinned triumphantly, “Get her!” I commanded. The windigo howled once more and charged at the Lich, pelting it with its howling blasts. My grin soon faltered, however, as the Lich bore the attack and dispelled the spirit with her staff.

you will pay for your transgressions!

She yelled, brandishing her staff at me. A beam of energy shot out, I evaded by ducking to the side. Looking back, it had barely missed my friends as well. I quickly repositioned myself so that they wouldn’t be caught in the fight as well, but I had no idea how I was to fight back.

She started advancing on me, forcing me back against the edge of the platform, it crumbling under my weight as she advanced upon me.

SUFFER!

I closed my eyes and braced myself, but instead I heard something riding through the sounds of the storm. It was soft, but raising in volume to the point it drowned out the storm, and the voice was Rose’s! I opened my eyes to see the Lich looking around in confusion as the mighty storm she conjured seemed to lessen, and I heard Rose’s voice cry out in clarity, sounding pure and divine.

Fortuna Hosana Deus
Legionus Ab Comae

A deep rumbling shook the stronghold, causing more chunks of stone to fall away from the tower. I could only stare in awe as the wind seemed to break, forced to travel around a massive objet with burning green eyes as it slowly forced its way through the storm.

Fortuna Aequis
Ad pugnatoris in veritae

As it broke the line, it seemed as if it was a monster representing nature incarnate. The main head was comprised of wood and stone, with moss and leaves as fur and a mane of vines of every kind, some even bearing fruit like grapes and olives.

Hosana Meus
Fortuna Deus

It was kind of hard to make out, but it appeared to take on the form of a mare, almost as if she was a god gazing down upon us. Her glare locked onto the lich as the music from beyond the storm increased in tempo. The giant mare of earth opened her mouth and let out a guttural roar as a massive hoof of stone and mud crushed onto the Lich.

Protego Causa In Sanctus
Aeternus praetor

The hoof lifted, showing the Lich protecting herself with a shield. The hoof slammed down again, and again, and again. Just when I thought the tower would collapse, the earthen mare began to slowly crumble and retreat, the song ending as she returned from whence she came.

Firmita semper
Coryphaeus
Regis universe

The Lich was in poor shape, barely able to stand as I approached. Her power was waning, the storm and frozen temperatures dying out and returning to normal. Her trembling hooves gave out and she fell on her face. I stood over her, unsure how to proceed when suddenly I saw it.

My eyes widened and my body began to shudder. There, under her crumbling armor, was a book bound in flesh, and I began to remember. I remembered my trial. I remembered my sacrifice. I remembered my loss. I recalled every event tied to the book, and everything I knew about it.

“You poor, unfortunate soul.” I said, voicing the pity I felt for the misfortune of the one to have stumbled upon my possession. “This power is not meant for you. You lack the inclination of the magic held within, and it has corrupted you...”

“Beetle?” I heard from behind me. I looked to the side, the others had thawed and came to their senses, Twilight was speaking, “Do you know what caused all this? Are you remembering something?”

I nodded and looked back, “It was the work of somepony at the wrong place at the wrong time.” I said as I pulled the book from the Lich, who hissed at me like a beast. 

“No! This is mine.” I said and then thumped the Lich on the head with it. I then held it up for the others to see, Twilight paled as she saw the cover. “This book chose me as its master, having passed its challenges. I am the one meant to use the power within as I see fit, to master it, to bring about either chaos or destruction or act as a warrior against evil, as a holy light in the darkness. But should someone else come into contact with it… well, you’ve seen her.”

We looked back at the fallen Lich, her powers were fading, and her armor crumbling to pieces as the darkness left her body. Soon, instead of the Lich Queen rested the unconscious form of a zebra mare.

“Zecora!” They yelled, moving to check on her. I looked her over for a moment and voiced my own analysis.

“She should be alright; the magic is fading and coming under control… but…” I trailed off in thought and flipped through the book. I was searching for information regarding the undead in town; would they fade with her as well? I stopped as I found the part I was looking for and read it quickly.

“Oh, well that’s neat.” I commented out to the others, “The undead resulted in a failed attempt at resurrection, bringing them back permanently, outside any direct control. And I should be able to clear up the corruption in the forest too, might take a few days by the looks of it. So in short, yay!” I cheered.

I looked behind me to see they had left already, flying Zecora and the others down to the ground to thunderous cheers. I sighed, some things never change. I put the book in my bags and flew down as well. The entire city felt alive as the dead cheered our success, word must have spread pretty quickly at some point, and they must be overjoyed at being able to remain in the living world.

I landed next to Twilight, “Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, you need to take Zecora to the Ponyville hospital at once! We’ll catch up to you!” Rainbow saluted, and with Fluttershy’s help carried the unconscious zebra off over the treetops.

“She’ll be fine-” I was cut off as Twilight rounded on me and started yelling in my face.

“How could you?!” She yelled, causing the cheering to stop rather abruptly. I backed up a step in confusion, “We trusted you, we helped you, and you were a part of all this from the beginning!? You’re the one behind the black magic?! The true master behind this evil with that book?! You almost killed Zecora!”

“Twilight… you can’t possibly think that Beetle was the one behind this, he was in the hospital the entire time!” Rarity came to my defense.

I sighed, “I truly had no idea about any of this or the reasoning behind it, I only know now because I have my book back, a book which all I know about chose me, and I chose the book over whatever life I had. I still have no idea what I was before any of this, and you jumping to conclusions isn’t helping!”

“Ahm sorry sugarcube, but he’s tellen the truth, as much as ah’d like ta put the blame on somepony, it just aint right.” Applejack said, she sounded really conflicted.

“But… But the book is evil! It contains black magic! You can’t just stand there and tell me everything’s fine if that book is still around!” Twilight reasoned angrily.

“I am sorry this happened, I truly am. But I was right up there with you, facing down the monster that overtook your friend, good job using the element things by the way. And I still consider you my friends; you helped me along since I left the hospital and were really kind to me even though none of us knew each other. Yea it was just today and I still barely know any of you and you all seem pretty rude but I’m sure it’s just a pony thing so I’ll forgive you.” I said. I think I trailed off a bit but whatever.

“No! That was before all this, with that-that thing!” She pointed angrily at my bag. “It needs to be destroyed.” She said with finality.

“Uh, pretty sure it can’t be destroyed.” I said.

“I demand you turn it over to me, and I’ll turn it in to Princess Celestia myself for disposal.” She said with an air of snooty superiority. Honestly, I don’t think it suits her.

“… Pretty sure I can’t do that either.” I tried coming up with something to say, but someone came up from behind me.

“Miss, I am fairly certain Beetle here speaks the truth.” I turned to see Rose standing next to me. “If the artifact chose him as the bearer, there is nothing that can be done to change that. Should you succeed in destroying it, what do you think would happen to the magic stored within?” She asked harshly.

Twilight looked side to side in thought, “Well, wouldn’t it be destroyed as well?” 

Rose shook her head, “Ancient magic is different than conventional magic, in that it just doesn’t just disperse back into the magical fields. It will release all at once, running amok, unstoppable to those unknown to its power. Do you truly think the dead rising as we did and a bit of corrupted forest will be the extent? No. Ancient magic can rip apart dimensions, creating portals to other realms not meant to be sealed. The dead will truly rise, running rampant and uncontrollable. This world will burn.” Rose concluded, glaring at Twilight.

“Wow, you know a lot about this magic!” I commented. I had no idea about any of that!

“She’s obviously lying, I’ve been studying magic my entire life and there is nothing like this ancient magic you talk about. Magic has advanced so much in the last thousand years, not to mention an EARTH pony knowing the intricate details of magical theory anyway!” Twilight was red in the face, eyes getting bloodshot.

“Uh, Twi? Truth again.” AJ said. Wow, she’s actually kinda handy to keep around!

“She does have a point though, I thought you were like the secretary of the princess or something?” I asked.

Rose turned to me, “I was… unsure, how much I could trust an outsider, but after nearly dying for us and being the proper master of the artifact, I should probably come clean. My sister and I are-were, high clerics of The Order. It was a closely guarded secret known only by the members and the king and queen. We, with the assistance of the other members, can use our voices in song to summon the forces of nature themselves and awaken the ancients for a time.”

“So, that enormous mare made of rock and mud was…” I started.

“She was Gia, mother of the earth and all living things. She was kind enough to answer our call after the corruption had infected her forests and was glade to be able to release her own rage.” She turned back to Twilight, “Didn’t know that, did you?”

“But… But those are just stories for foals… Those things can’t actually exist!” She looked like she was about to just snap. “And why are you still around anyway!? Why didn’t you all just return to the earth when the lich was dispelled!?”

“Okay, now that was really rude.” I chided. “And it’s simple, the magic was wild and acted independently of the lich, and is now under the control of each individual, keeping them alive, so to speak. And I’m not about to just take that away from them. This way, everypony lives!” I cheered and was joined by the crowd.

“Bu-pth-ha-mh!” Twilight started sputtering as she failed to come up with something. Well, for a moment anyway. “Ah! But you still have access to that power, making you evil!” She pointed at me in accusation.

“Technically, Evil isn’t just black and white. Ponies did evil things with good intentions. Who’s to say that Beetle can’t use the powers for good? I’m sure he doesn’t even know the extent of the power he wields yet.” Rose defended.

“Yea, I’ll have to experiment with it a bit. Hey, think you could help me get the hang of it?” I asked Rose.

“Sure! It would be an honor, you helped save us all, and I don’t think anything can repay that.” She said with a toothy grin.

“But…” Twilight started, looking pretty down. I felt sorry for her, pretty much everything she knew was now in question, must be pretty hard to take in. I suddenly had an idea!

“Idea!” I yelled, snapping her out of her funk, “So, you said this Celestia princess was still around, so maybe she would like to see that her old friends are back, they can explain what the heck is going on better than I ever could, and then you can help during practice and study this magic! It’s perfect!”

“Hmm… Maybe. But the princesses never learned of our order before the fall of Princess Luna. If they had, I’m certain they would have sought our counsel before it got to the point of all-out war.” Rose reasoned.

“Oh well. Still a good idea.” I said.

“Well, Beetle has a point. This needs to be reported and doing so in person would be the best… I’m still not convinced though, so no funny stuff! I’ll be watching you both carefully.” Twilight said, pointing between us.

“I alone cannot do more than summon a small familiar, so nothing to worry about there.” Rose said.

“I… Don’t actually like the name Beetle.” I said hesitantly, tapping my hoof to my chin in thought. 

“Ah yes, you did mention that you were having some memory issues. Are you beginning to recall your name?” Rose asked.

“Maybe? I just know my name’s not Beetle or a bug of any sort… Anyway, what about the city? Will everyone be alright?” I asked.

“I’m sure my sister can take charge and oversee the operations.” Rose said with confidence. I looked around, Flame was indeed absent and the crowd certainly wasn’t the entire city. As I looked, one of the older buildings suddenly collapsed and in another place there were a large number of decorations and some carnival music playing as Pinkie juggled rubber chickens in a cloud suit. Yes, the rubber chickens were dressed as clowns. Awesome!

“What operations?” Twilight asked.

“Well, rebuilding our city of course.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “It’ll be hard but I’m certain we can rebuild from the ground up. Might be others trapped in the rubble anyway.”

“True. Anyway, how do we get to the thing at the place?” I asked.

“… You mean the Princess at Canterlot Castle?” Twilight said, to which I nodded. “We’ll have to take the train, but it’s getting late and would have stopped running by now, so we would have to go in the morning.”

“Uh, sorry to ask with what’s happened, but do I still have a room at your place?” I asked nervously.

“Beetle… I’m sorry; I just don’t know what to think anymore. I’m sorry I accused you of causing all this without stronger evidence, but I’m still sure you’re dangerous. If I let you stay here I won’t be able to keep an eye on you, so I guess I’ll have to let you stay with me until I can trust you completely.” She said firmly.

“Works for me!” I said with a smile. “Rose is coming too.”

“What!?” Twilight blurted.

“I don’t see why not, I know more about ancient magic than either of you so if something happens ill know how to counter it.” She said. “Oh, and I wouldn’t worry about the smell, Gia has seen fit to bless us. She stopped and reversed the rate of decay, and nullified the smell, as a reward for assisting in allowing her vengeance.”

“Wait, so that means…” Twilight started.

“That eventually we will no longer be undead, and will truly come back to life. It’s going to take probably a few decades though; ancient healing magic isn’t very fast.” Rose said with a toothy grin.

“Neat! Let’s go, to Ponyville!” I cheered.

> Rose
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight sighed in defeat, “Alright, come on. Let’s grab Pinkie and head back home.” We followed her through the dispersing crowd toward the sounds of the party where Pinkie was hosting a multitude of party games, none of which I knew a thing about.

“Hey guys! Here to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey? Or Ring Toss? Darts? Bobbing for Apples? Or how about-” Pinkie was interrupted as Twilight cast a spell that put a zipper over her lips and sealed it shut, though that didn’t stop her from talking.

“… That’s a very odd spell.” I heard Rose comment.

“Pinkie, were heading back to Ponyville for the night so we can head to Canterlot in the morning.” Twilight said.

Pinkie un-zipped her mouth, “Okie dokie! Say hi to Zecora for me!”

“What do you mean? Are you not coming?” Twilight asked.

“Duh, of course not! These party ponies need to get those creaks out of their bones, hehe!” Pinkie giggled as she hopped around and passed out a few pastries which were eagerly devoured.

“But we need to report this to the Princess!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Hmm… Well, you could report it to Princess Celestia but right now, I’m needed here. These ponies need help adjusting to their new lives, they were dead for over a thousand years and now they are back only to see everything they knew and loved has changed and turned to rubble. They all need a bit of laughter in their hearts.” Pinkie said with a surprising amount of seriousness.

Rose stepped passed me and pulled Pinkie into a tight hug, which Pinkie happily returned, “Thank you.” She said. Pinkie hummed in response and snuggled into the hug.

I smiled at the sight; Pinkie was such a kind hearted pony. I heard somepony gag, I turned to see Twilight clamping her eyes shut with a hoof shoved in her mouth. 

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She nodded in response, “Sorry, Just the thought of hugging a walking corpse kind of makes me sick.” She turned and walked away a few steps.

As I watched her wander off I felt myself growing warm in anger. On a fundamental note, hugging a dead smelly thing may not be appealing, but Rose is alive, she has feelings, it’s not her fault she’s this way! We should be focused on trying to make them feel better about themselves; because as far as they know yesterday they were alive and well, and today they are rotting meat.

I broke my gaze away from Twilight to see Rose awkwardly break out of the hug, “Sorry about that…” She said.

“Hey, no need to be sorry. Ponies deserve hugs no matter what!” Pinkie exclaimed, “Now turn that frown upside down!”

“What?” Rose asked in confusion.

Pinkie giggled, “It means cheer up, silly!”

Rose chuckled with a small smile, “Yes, I suppose there is a lot to be happy for, thank you.”

“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie cheered and bounced off to another part of the party.

Rose stood there, watching her go. I walked up to her and placed a hoof on her withers, “You okay?”

She shook her head, “Not really, but I will be. It’s a lot to take in, at best everyone is in too much shock to realize, but come tomorrow or the next few days, and the realization is going to hit pretty hard. Not to mention your purple friend, if she sees us as shambling corpses, how many thousands out there will see us that way too? What will happen then?”

“Honestly, it seems like there are too many questions to speculate, but from what I could see, most ponies are rude by nature. I’m sure she didn’t mean to insult you or anyone else, she’s just really stressed I think. What with all this talk of ancient magic and evil and stuff.” I reasoned.

“Yes… I suppose you’re right.” She said.

“Well I hope I am. Besides, we’re staying with her for a while so there’s plenty of time to sit down and talk it out.” I said. “Come on, let’s catch up with them and see if Binks will give us a gondola ride back to town.”

Rose smiled and laughed, “A gondola ride? Isn’t that a bit fancy for somepony you just met?”

I looked at her in confusion as we walked, “I… don’t think I follow…”

“I’m kidding, just giving you a hard time.” She said with a chuckle.

Once we caught up, Twilight, AJ, Rarity, Rose and I sought out Binks. He was using his skills on the edge of the forest, stripping down trees into logs and timber materials for building wooden houses. 

“Hey Binks!” I called out as we approached. He set aside the sharpened rocks and makeshift tools, the steel ones sat in a pile off to the side, far too rusted to be of use.

“Yo hohoho! My, my! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! Ah, though I don’t have any. Yo hohoho!” The skeletonized diamond dog laughed cheerfully. “I am so glad for what you and your friends have done for us all, if there is anything we can do, just ask away!”

“Thanks! Although we did have some help in the end, I don’t think I would have beaten the lich without it.” I said as I shoulder bumped Rose. She said the order was a secret, I wasn’t about to let that out. She chuckled a bit in response.

“Modesty! He’s modest! Yo hohoho!” Binks cheered.

“Haha, I try. Anyway, think you could ferry us along the river out of the woods?” I asked.

“Of course! I’m sure I could step away for a few hours, not like they’re going to die of old age waiting on my return! Yo hohoho!” Binks cheered and started dancing his way to the river beyond the old market.

Rose and I followed right behind and looked around as all the undead were working hard to finish tearing down the old buildings and recycling the bricks for future use. Near the docks we found Caster pointing out a few different locations to the workers. She flew through the rubble with a few other ghosts and directed them to various locations.

“Hey Caster, what’s going on?” I asked as we neared.

“Oh hey guys! Us ghosts are searching around for anyone trapped under the rubble, and we found over a dozen so far!” She said, “There’s a lot of ground to cover, so I’ll see you guys later, okay?” Rose and I waved as she flew off.

“Wow, there really is a lot of work that needs doen, isn’t there?” AJ commented as we piled into the gondola.

“Yes, the city has been invaded by the forest from what we could gather, what you see as ruins is only the center most part of the city.” Rose filled in. “We estimate that the excavation of materials and buried survivors is going to take around a month or two, and we have another team set to constructing simple, temporary homes. Right, Binks?”

“Yo hohoho! Right you are! I’m doing what I can to help out as much as possible!” He laughed happily as we made our way downstream.

I looked over the edge of the boat at the thick black slime of the river. “Has anyone had a chance to look at this yet?”

Rose peered over the opposite side and gave it a sniff, “It’s not pure unicorn or ancient magic… almost seems like a failure at mixing incompatible powers…” She dipped a hoof into the goop, much to the revulsion of the others, and examined it closely. “Oh hush, it’s been nullified. But other than the black magic there are traces of spiritual magic. Your friend, the zebra, was she a shaman by some chance?” She asked as she wiped her hoof clean on Binks.

“Hey!” He protested but let it slide, not like he was super clean anyway.

“A shaman? No, she’s just a potion brewer. Besides, shamans aren’t real.” Twilight said with finality.

Rose looked her over carefully, “Yes, of course, how foolish of me.” She said, causing Twilight to grin in triumph.

Rose sounded… reserved? Confused? No, more like she knows something we don’t, but doesn’t want to cause an argument. From what I’ve noticed, Twilight seems to consider herself an expert in all things magical and doesn’t take well to criticism or new ideas, so I guess I understand Rose’s reasoning.

“Hey, Binks, mind if'n we sing that song again?” AJ asked. “Would take mah mind off the forest…”

“Yo hohoho! Of course! Ready? All together now!”

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…



 

When the light of the evening sun finally broke through the trees as we neared the edge of the forest I was overjoyed. The last hour spent trapped on the small boat with a bunch of ponies belting out the same song over and over was driving me mad! Rose seemed to be having a good time though, she was proving to be quite an amazing singer and was the only one I enjoyed singing the song. The others weren’t BAD I guess, but they still annoy me.

“Hey look! We made it back! You can all stop singing now!” I called out over them in the middle of their twenty-sixth sing along. Luckily they stopped and looked mad that I didn’t let them finish. “Oh thank you!” I called out to the blissful silence.

“They weren’t that bad.” Rose said with a chuckle.

“No, they weren’t, but I can only stand the same song so many times, I just found out.” I explained, to which she nodded her head in understanding.

“Ah, my apologies, perhaps I should have sang a different song.” Binks said as he pulled up to the riverbank. “Anyway, I don’t think your town would appreciate a skeleton making its way down the river.”

“I’m sure once we tell the Princess she’ll help us integrate back to the ponies.” Rose said.

“Yes, I’m sure that’s true, but it still saddens me. Hard times are ahead.” He remarked.

“Perhaps, but I’m sure we’ll pull through fine.” Rose assured as we disembarked.

“Yeah! I’ll come by and help you guys too!” I said. I was actually surprised when a few of the others offered help as well.

“If’n ya’ll need help with the land, just send word to the farm!” AJ added.

“And I would be honored to assist with the decorating and any outfits anypony needs.” Rarity said regally.

“See Binks? We already made some pony friends.” Rose said. “Now head back and don’t slack off, you hear?”

“Yo hohoho! Of course my dear!” He said as he pushed off back into the river. “Yo hohoho… Yo hohoho…!” He sang out as he disappeared into the forest.

“I like him.” I found myself commenting again.

“He’s a good guy. Now, which way is it to your village?” Rose asked.

“Oh, it’s this way.” Twilight said as she took the lead. “Ponyville is rather new in comparison to the other cities of Equestria, close to about seventy five years since AJ’s grandmother’s parents founded the town.”

Twilight led us back to town as the sun set on the horizon, allowing the moon to rise smoothly in its place, bringing with it a multitude of stars. We came upon a crossroads as we entered the outer edge of the town.

“Well girls, should we head to the hospital to see how Zecora is holding up?” Twilight asked.

“Well, Ah should be getten home soon, but Ah could spare a few minutes for a good friend.” AJ said.

“I feel the same darling, but I think we simply must let her know we’re here for her.” Rarity added.

“She might want some answers about what happened, so I think we should at least check in. Although I’m sure she won’t wake up for a while yet.” I said.

“I have to agree with Beetle, it would be a kind gesture regardless though.” Rose said.

Twilight looked us over for a moment with squinted eyes, “Well alright, come on girls and Beetle, the hospital is just this way.”

Rose and I shared a glance in confusion; something was up with that purple unicorn. In the end we followed along, the travel itself was un-eventful as Rose looked over the simple architecture of the town with a frown.

“Something the matter, darling?” Rarity asked as she noticed Rose’s gaze.

“Not really, was just thinking that after a thousand years ponies would move onto something other than simple huts with thatch roofs.” Rose said as she gestured around.

“Well, they are fairly easy and cheap to re-construct, which is vital for a small town such as ours.” Rarity informed.

“How do you mean?” Rose asked.

“Well, seems like something strange happens just about every week, and more than half the town gets destroyed on a monthly basis. It’s actually surprisingly good for the economy.” Rarity said casually.

“Wait, how and what destroys the town!?” I asked in shock.

“Well, last time was a few days before we found you Beetle. Discord, the God of Chaos broke free and tried making Ponyville the chaos capital of the world. But in the end we managed to re-connect with our elements and seal him back in stone.” Rarity explained.

I had no idea who that was, but it looked like Rose sure did. “He escaped!? You can all wield the Elements that effectively!?”

Rarity smirked as she tapped her necklace with a hoof, “We also used them to free Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon.”

Rose’s jaw dropped and she stopped walking, completely stunned. I poked her a few times before she shook her head and laughed, “Perhaps I underestimated you ponies, this era is promising to be interesting at least.”

“In that case I should probably give you a history lesson at some point, but that can wait for now, the hospital is just ahead.” Twilight said. We followed her around the final bend in the path and came upon the familiar sight of Ponyville Hospital. “Rose, you might appreciate some of our technological advancements in the hospital.”

“Yes… It does seem very odd structurally and is simple yet elegant in its own right, seems sturdy too.” She remarked, giving it a critical eye.

“Were you an architect too dear?” Rarity asked.

Rose shook her head, “No, I’m just comparing to what I’ve seen from my day.”

“I’m new to all this, but I don’t like the beeping machine, it’s so annoying.” I remarked.

“That annoying beeping machine made sure your heart was still beating, Beetle.” Twilight said bluntly.

“Alright… No need to be rude about it.” She pretended to not hear me.

I heard something shatter to my left. I turned to see a pony staring at us, a broken vase of flowers in front of her. I was about to ask if she was alright but instead she turned and ran screaming into town, yelling something about monsters.

“What was that all about?” I asked in confusion.

“Oh dear, I was afraid of that. A lot of ponies are skittish to new ponies and the fact you both sort of look like a weird monster to them is going to make them panic. Luckily all that means is running and hiding, so the streets will be clear at least. I’ll try and see if Princess Celestia can come down and talk them out of their fear if they still see you as a threat.” Twilight said.

“I see. Pardon me for asking, but you seem to have a lot of faith that she will do as you ask, what is your relationship with her exactly? I figure being the bearers comes with a few perks but not having the Princess doing you favors.” Rose asked.

“I am Princess Celestia’s personal student, I’ve been taught by her since I was a filly in everything regarding magic since I got my cutie mark for it.” She said with pride.

“My my, that is impressive.” Rose remarked in surprise, “I hope it isn’t too stressful, working directly under royalty at such a young age.”

“Well, I do my best to impress her and I’ve never let her down yet!” She declared triumphantly.

“The princess actually assigned her to live here and make friends because she was such a shut in, she’s come quite a long way and manages to keep up her studies and make time for friends.” Rarity whispered to us.

The whole situation just seemed odd to me, mainly because I view ponies as rude by default. But I let those thoughts slide as we came upon the hospital’s main entrance where I first met Twilight and her friends.

“Seems like only yesterday I was last here.” I remarked.

“Actually you were last here this morning, wasn’t expecting to see you so soon!” One of the nurses I met during my stay was manning the counter. “Although, is your new friend alright? She seems awfully… pale.”

“I’m actually feeling much better than I have in the last thousand years.” Rose said with a sly smile.

“Ah, I see then. Strange things usually happen around this lot, I assume a summit for the princess will be soon?” The nurse asked Twilight, who nodded her head.

“You seem pretty calm about this.” I remarked.

“As a professional care provider I have mastered the art of suppressing fear and anxiety until my break where I will probably have a panic attack, your friends kind of explained already and the entire story is quite terrifying.” The nurse said in a rather deadpan voice.

We stood there in silence for a moment until Twilight spoke up, “Um, which room is she in?”

“204, she’s resting at the moment, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are in there with her, feel free to stay a while.” She said, standing from her chair. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll be taking my break a bit early.”

Rose and I watched as she retreated to a room marked “Employees Only” and closed the door. We were able to see her shadow through the clouded glass clearly freaking out but to the door’s credit we heard nothing.

“Ponies sure are strange.” I remarked.

“Yes, we all have our perks.” Rose stated as we followed behind the group. 

We reached the elevator and it was large enough for all five of us to stand comfortably inside. I waited for Rose to say something about how remarkable the machine was but she remained silent. I for one thought this thing was amazing, and voiced as such.

“This thing is amazing.” I said.

“It looks like a fancy dumbwaiter, run by pulleys and counterweights.” Rose remarked.

“If’n it works, don fix it, right?” AJ supplied.

“Yes, that exactly.” Rose said.

There was a ding and the doors opened to reveal the pristine white hallway of 2nd floor. Twilight stepped out and led the way to 204, which looked incredibly familiar to me, but then again each empty room we passed looked nearly identical anyway. Twilight knocked as she entered and met Rarity and Fluttershy with a hug.

“I’m glad you guys made it back!” Fluttershy said.

“Yea, what kept you?” Rainbow asked. “And where’s Pinkie?”

“Rainbow, we can’t just fly back over the tree tops, and Binks was kind enough to offer us a ride along the river.” Rarity said. “Pinkie decided to stay behind a bit to help cheer up the city.”

“That’s so kind of her.” Fluttershy commented.

“How’s she doing girls?” Twilight asked as she broke away to look at Zecora.

“She hasn’t woken up yet, but the doctors say her energy appears to have been drained away. She probably won’t wake up for a while.” Fluttershy said.

“Called it.” I voiced.

“… Well in any case I’m glad she’s doing alright. Tomorrow morning I’ll be heading to Canterlot with Rose and Beetle to report this to the Princess, did any of you want to come with?” Twilight asked.

“I’m on cloud watch all day tomorrow and I need to approve the next week’s weather, I already put it off as much as I could.” Rainbow said.

“I think I’ll stay with Zecora so she’s not alone when she wakes up.” Fluttershy said.

“Ah’ll hafta catch up on the chores I skipped today and see about getting some supplies to the old castle to help the workers.” AJ said.

“I have an idea for a gift for Beetle and Rose, but I’ll need to pull an all-nighter to finish it so I’ll deliver it first thing in the morning! Unfortunately I’ll need to get my beauty sleep afterwards.” Rarity said.

“And Pinkie is staying with the undead so it’s just Beetle, Rose and I.” Twilight sighed. “Alright, let’s get to the library so I can set up your sleeping arrangements.”

“Alright, where is it, by the-” Twilight’s horn flashed, “-way…” and I found myself surrounded by shelves of books. “That’s neat. Why didn’t we do that from the old castle?” I asked.

“Because-” Twilight began.

“-The distance times the mass of the number of ponies would require an output of power at a greater rate than a single pony's mass and at several multitudes due to various factors resulting in a power consumption far beyond what she could have managed. Something like that?” Rose asked with a sly smile.

Twilight was glaring at her and grinding her teeth while her face was slowly growing red to match her bloodshot eyes. Her horn flashed again and there were a bunch of pillows and blankets at our hooves. “There’s your bed, go to sleep!” she vanished in a flash and if the muffled scream of aggravation from upstairs meant anything, she teleported to her bedroom.

“She really doesn’t like the fact you know the intricacies of magic.” I stated to Rose.

“I know; it is a bit rude to automatically assume that earth ponies are uneducated in magic. Truth is, I know far more than her if she hasn’t even considered shaman magic or the magic of the ancients, both of which need a very open mind and a sturdy heart.”

While we spoke I used my magic to arrange a few pillows in a kind of nest then flopped on my belly. I used my magic to pull out my book and started reading it. Rose lied down next to me and read alongside me.

“Interesting.” She commented after a few pages of silent reading.

“What?” I asked.

“It reads unlike any other spell book that I have seen. It’s almost like it’s a guide of some kind, no doubt ensuring that its bearer would be able to handle the more powerful spells. Open it to the back once for a moment.” She asked.

I flipped to the back quarter of the book, but the pages were blank. “Huh, wasn’t expecting that.” Rose said. “Flip back page by page, what section is this?”

I flipped back a  few pages, each as blank as the last until one had a label at the top, ‘Available Summons’ and there were two entries, ‘Living Armor’ and ‘Windigo’ each with a 1 on the right.

“Oh sweet, I can summon those now?” I asked. "I really want to give this a try now, they were pretty cool monsters."

“I take you had assumed control of a living armor and a windigo during your big fight?” Rose asked.

“Yea, I kind of just forced my magic into them, sort of like how I freed you and your sister.” I said. Rose’s face slacked, she looked so full of sorrow and pain in a single instant.

“You know, I could never thank you enough for that, so thank you, thank you for saving us…” She said and closed her eyes. She then snuggled her head up under my chin and pressed her body closer, cool flesh against cool chitin. I was filled with a strange feeling as I had no idea what to do, so I rested by chin on the back of her neck. 

We lay there cuddled up for a few minutes before the silence was broken by a quite sob. Rose’s sides heaved irregularly as she pressed against me, I could feel the wetness from her eyes against my furry chest. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I used my magic to pull a blanket over us as I pulled her closer into a soft embrace. With another flick of my magic I turned out the light of the candles. I listened as her soft whimpers eventually receded as sleep overtook her, and I followed right after.
> Love
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was walking through some thick woods, I’m not sure for how long, but my hatred and resentment drove me forward into the unknown. I could hear myself muttering under my breath, cursing those whom angered me in such a way.

“Stupid… who needs them… never liked it there anyway… stupid changelings… stupid queen…”

I tripped over an exposed root, sending me to fall onto my face. “Ow. Stupid trees!” I pulled myself back up and kept walking, my book held close in my magic. “Well who needs them anyway? I’ll be just fine on my own. I’ll make my life mine, have a house, live with ponies in their villages, study my book… Bah, who am I kidding? I’ll probably slowly starve to death. Well, better starving out here and free than back there enslaved!” I skipped a bit as I walked. 

“But then again I guess eighty-four eighty sub-delta isn’t much of a name… maybe I could be Delta?” I puffed out my chest and proclaimed, “I am Delta!” after a moment I deflated, “No that doesn’t sound better, reminds me of the other name… What about S? I don’t think there are any divisions of S… what would S be? Siegfried? Sieg? Sigma?” I paused at that one, “Sigma… sounds powerful... Yes, I think I like that one. Sigma!” I puffed out my chest again and exclaimed aloud, “Sigma! Sigma! Sigma!” I cheered.

But the darkness of the forest seemed to grow as the world around me changed. The forest’s trees grew further apart as the darkness loomed around me, a moment later I was aware of an incredible pain in the back of my head, as though my very being was being sucked away. The constant buzz I had known all my life vanished as the pain flared ten-fold, my mind feeling empty and devoid of everything but pain as I screamed.

“I think that’s enough of that.” I heard a voice say, suddenly the pain was gone and my world returned to a familiar sight, a faded blue plane with dust floating around everywhere.

“W-wha…?” I stuttered.

“I stopped the nightmare before it devolved into madness, Beetle. Or should I say, Sigma?” I turned around to see Princess Luna once again. 

“It was just a dream…? It felt so real…” I said, shivering as I recalled the events.

“It was a memory.” Luna said as she went to a new window. I looked around; there were several windows now, most depicting things that happened after leaving the hospital and some of the Hairy Trotter book. The window Luna stood before was not one of the new ones.

“Your mind is recovering, as this is the event that caused your mind to shatter like glass. I was watching, out of sight, hoping to find the cause of your predicament. Unfortunately it appears it was an attack through the mind or the removal of something the mind usually can’t go without, resulting in the trauma.” Luna said and gazed at me questioningly.

I shrugged, “Beats me, I guess I had some resentment to whomever did this to me, but I can’t think of why or what for...” I trailed off as I gazed around to another window. “Oh! I got my book back though!” I cantered to the window of the flesh-bound book. “Twilight doesn’t appreciate it though; I think that’s why she’s mad at us.”

Luna gazed at it as well but said nothing. Instead she tapped it with her hoof, and what followed were a series of memories. A huge, underground cave with a chest, battling the undead, being bestowed with it, the dread and hatred of losing everything because I chose the book, finding it again at the top of the tower of the twin sisters, reeling in the power from the lich, being cheered by a city of undead, and sharing the last moment of the day with Rose.

The last image made me feel warm inside, I liked it. “I see, this explains the influx of nightmares about undead. Care to explain your version of events?” She asked. I nodded in response and spoke of everything I found out with the others today.

“I see… I’m… not sure what to think at the moment… but you said you, Twilight and Rose will be arriving in Canterlot tomorrow?” I nodded, “Then I would like to speak with you all personally alongside my sister. In the meantime, I think I have an important job for you. Come with me.” Luna said and walked through a door that wasn’t there a moment ago.

I followed her as we floated through a star-filled void to another door. Inside was pitch black, but I was able to see everything perfectly, and there in front of us was Rose. She sat under a beautiful tree filled with flowers as rose pedals surrounded her; the roses in her mane were stunning and beautiful, and at this moment I realized I was seeing what she looked like a thousand years ago. Her coat was a soft tan and she sat with such grace and poise. Her thin white dress fluttered easily in a non-existent breeze. In a word, she was gorgeous.

But then there was the mirror, it was reflecting back a dead, charred tree, the rose petals were dried and shriveled, and the roses in her mane were long dead. The reflection showed the Rose I knew, flesh stretched taunt over her ribs and the white of the bones showing through clearly. And she was sobbing, pounding her hooves desperately against the glass, unable to break through and reclaim what she once was.

I didn’t need prompting; I walked up to the mirror and stepped through as though it wasn’t there. She stopped pounding on the glass and stared at me, eyes red and swollen. I reached out and grabbed hold of her, pulling her into an embrace as she sobbed into my shoulder. The death around us and the reflection of her perfect self, faded into nothing as Luna exited through another door.





I slowly woke up to the feeling of a light shaking and the sounds of somepony sniffing. I opened my eyes to see Rose wrapped in my arm, shivering and crying softly in her sleep. I nuzzled the back of her head and neck with a few light shushes, and to my amazement she calmed down and began to rest a bit easier.

There was a creak to my right, I looked and saw Twilight standing there staring with a weird look on her face. She opened her mouth a few times but said nothing, looking conflicted on what to say or how to process the sight before her. Eventually she just shook her head and went off into another room. It must have been the kitchen because soon after the sounds and smells of food made their way to us.

Rose must have smelled it too; she shifted a bit and stretched out with a groan. Her eyes snapped open as she realized we were cuddling.

“… Morning.” She said.

“Morning.” I responded.

We lay there, still in each other’s arms with the blankets bundled around us.

“… About last night…” Rose started.

“I know. It’s alright; it’s a big change from who you were. You were beautiful.” Her eyes started to tear up, “But you are still beautiful. Don’t let your current appearance or others say you’re not, because I can see just how special you are.”

“Then… Then that was you… in that dream…?” She asked.

I nodded, “Luna checks up on me in my dreams sometimes, she’s helping my memories. She said you needed me, so I came to help.”

Rose pulled me close in a tight hug. “Thank you.” She then kissed me on the cheek! “For everything.” The kiss filled me with a sudden bout of energy that made me flush and made my heart pound furiously. What was this feeling? Was this… the feeling love that was mentioned in that Hairy Trotter book? Am I in love?

I stared into her eyes, searching for the answers to my questions. She stared back, her eyes so full of warmth and a small smile on her face. Was she feeling it too? What that why she kissed me? I realized just how close our muzzles were, our breath playing lightly across each other’s faces. I found myself leaning in closer just a hair, and watched as Rose partly closed her eyes and did the same. Our breathing became heavy as our lips-

“Breakfast!” Twilight called out from the kitchen.

We jumped a bit and looked to the doorway, Twilight wasn’t there, but we could hear her setting up the table. We looked back at each other and chuckled, the moment was ruined but we would remember, there would be other times to talk it out.

I used my magic to untangle the magic wrapping us together before we were able to detangle ourselves. We folded the blankets up and set them aside for now then headed into the kitchen. There were a few plates set up, each with a stack of tannish brown disks I couldn’t name.

“Good morning!” Twilight said cheerfully. I raised an eyebrow, perhaps sleep made her feel better?

Rose and I sat down at the table looking at the food in confusion. “What’s this food?” She asked.

“You’ve never had pancakes?” Twilight asked with a look of horror. “Pancakes are the best part of breakfast!” She declared.

“Only because it’s the only thing you can cook without setting the kitchen on fire.” A little green guy said as he waddled into the room and took a seat at the table as well. 

Twilight scowled at him for a moment then relented, “He’s right…” Twilight placed another plate stacked with pancakes in the center of the table and sat as well.

“Uhhh…” I asked.

“Oh! I’m Spike! Twilight’s Number One Assistant! I help out around the library and make sure she eats properly when she’s studying. She tends to forget to do that.” Spike filled us in.

“So… Twilight is like a pet you have to take care of?” I asked.

This caused Spike to burst out in laughter and twilight glared at me for a moment but hid it with a smile, “No, he just helps out when I’m too busy to do other things.” She said.

“Yea that’s pretty much how it is.” He said.

I watched Spike slab some butter on them then drown them in syrup. I did the same, noticing Rose mimic as well. Once finished I cut off a portion and took a bite, chewing slowly to savor the taste. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was very sweet tasting. As I took another bite I saw rose was enjoying it as well. The stack of pancakes in the center of the table was quickly devoured as we all ate in relative silence.

I set my fork down as I finished, “Wow, that was pretty good.”

“Thank you.” Twilight said, leaning back and patting her stomach as well.

Rose, however, was staring pretty intensely at her empty plate. “Are you okay?” I asked.

She was silent for a moment, “This is kind of embarrassing, but parts of my body, particularly the digestive system, are active again… I think I need to use the outhouse.”

“The what?” I asked.

“Oh! The toilet! It’s the far room over there, go in the bowl of water and pull the silver lever to get rid of the waste!” Twilight called as Rose hurried into the room and closed the door.

Twilight sighed before relaxing in the chair, “So…” She started. I turned to her as she continued, “Awfully friendly this morning.”

“She was having night terrors and needed someone to be there for her.” I explained. “Luna even helped me into her nightmare.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at me, looks like she didn’t sleep it off. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I will find out, I’m watching you. Both of you. And if you think telling me Luna helped her out will help your case you are sorely mistaken. Once we get to Canterlot your plans will unravel and we’ll put a stop to you.”

I narrowed my eyes back at her, “I have no idea what you’re insinuating, but once we get to Canterlot, you are going to find that you are sorely mistaken, then I would like an apology, then you will apologize to Rose.”

She reared up and slammed her hooves on the table, “I’m not insinuating anything, but I’m on to you and your tricks!” Spike was nervously glancing between us as he busied himself with the dishes.

Before I could respond in my confusion I heard Rose cry out in panic in the toilet room, “AH! Help! Something’s happening!”

Twilight and I glared at each other before rushing to the door. As we opened the door I was introduced to the horror of the result of a thousand years of decayed food and blood overflowing from a clogged toilet. Rose and I quickly learned how to unclog a toilet while Spike and Twilight hid around the corner. 

“Well, that was fun.” I said sarcastically.

“I’m so glad Twilight decided to help.” Rose replied. 

“I think we should clean up in the shower, I don’t want to meet the princess covered in… stuff.” I moved to the tub and started the shower.

“Oh wow, this is rather nice. We just had a spring at the castle that everyone would share.” She remarked. “Come on, you can wash my back.”

“Alright.” I said. We hopped into the tub and started cleaning off and I assisted her with her back and other hard to reach spots. She actually needed much more attention, the amount of filth covering her body was incredible, I’m not sure how I didn’t notice before now.

We were alone in the bath, and we were able to speak to each other about our feelings for one another. Needless to say I was elated to learn that she shared my feelings as well. We shared out feelings, our newfound love for each other under the cascade of water as we kissed lovingly.

Eventually we parted lips, both breathing heavily from the exchange. “Oh Beetle…” She said.

I shook my head, “Sigma. My name is Sigma.”

She smiled, “You remembered?”

I smiled back, “Had a dream last night about it.”

She cooed, “Oh come here you sweet thing~” 

Once we finished with the bath we stepped out and dried off, Rose appearing much more tan than brown and her red hair looked amazingly alive. The roses, however, were actually growing from the filth in her hair and not from her flesh. I took a stem and clipped it with my fangs and stuck it above her ear.

“There, perfect!” I exclaimed. She flushed a bit, visibly growing red in her cheeks.

“Thanks~!” She said, followed by another deep kiss, causing me to smile.

Once we were dry we departed the bathroom to see Twilight ready to head out the door with a pair of saddlebags across her back.

“Oh finally, I thought you both got lost. Now hurry up! We have a train to catch!” She said as Spike hopped onto her back.

I grabbed my book and the bags I think I stole from Pinkie and put them on, storing my book away as we headed out into the sun.

> Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the time on the Ponyville clock tower was correct, it was a quarter to 11AM as we made our way to Ponyville Train Station. The ponies that were already out and about gave us a wide berth as Rose and I followed Twilight through town.

“Well, at least they aren’t running and screaming.” I remarked.

“They might at the slightest provocation though, which is why we’re rushing directly to the station.” Twilight said. 

True to her word we arrived at what appeared to be a wooden shack on an elevated platform that stretched in either direction for about a hundred feet. Twilight went to speak with the pony in the shack while Rose and I examined the platform. Apart from a few benches and Ponyville event fliers posted around, it was pretty dull.

“… I’m confused.” I said to which Rose nodded.

After a few minutes watching the other ponies sitting around, we returned to Twilight who gave us each a slip of paper, “Here you go, these are your tickets. Please don’t lose them.”

“Tickets for what? I thought we were going to Canterlot?” I asked.

“Just wait, you’ll find out in about ten minutes, it might surprise you.” Twilight said with a grin.

“Uh, okay then.” I said.

“Oh there you are!” I heard someone call out. I turned to see Rarity running to greet us while holding a pair of boxes in her magic. “I’m so glad I found you, I stopped by the library but Spikey said you had left already!”

“Well it is nice seeing you again so soon, although you do look a bit tired.” Rose commented.

“Oh yes, I was up all night working on these, they just had to be perfect. Beauty sleep can wait in the face of perfection! Now, this one is for you dear Beetle, and for Rose I have a lovely summer dress that would make you look splendid!” Rarity said as she presented a box to Rose.

Rose grinned and squee’d as she opened it. I looked over her shoulder to see a light yellow fabric with a few gems sewn into it. Rarity lifted it out and fit it on Rose, basically pulling it over her head.

“Now, strike a pose darling!” Rarity encouraged.

Rose turned to the side, lifted a fore hoof, and smiled back as me. My jaw dropped at the sight, instantly forgetting to correct Rarity about my name. The way the sun struck her made it seem like Rose was literally glowing and sparking.

A hoof suddenly waving in front of my face brought me out of my trance, “Huh?” I asked and looked to see Rarity looking at me expectantly.

“I believe it’s your turn dear.” She said and opened the lid on the box for me. Inside there were several pieces of fabric I couldn’t wrap my mind around. We started with the thin white one, my forelegs went through the sleeves as it wrapped around my back comfortably and buttoned together at the front. Then the black fabric went over that one much the same way, but was longer and draped over my rear, and split at my little stub of a tail. Then a red ribbon was tied around my neck under the white part and was tied into a bow.

“There! You look smashing!” Rarity commented.

“Wow, it’s a good look for you, you pull it off well.” Rose said as she looked me over. “But what about your wings?”

True to her word, my wings were trapped. “I’m sorry about that Beetle, I’ll have to have you stop by to make the modifications for the wings, but for now you need to look your best for the princess!” Rarity exclaimed in glee.

“Wow Rarity, you really did a good job. They almost look normal now!” Twilight said.

In an instant the mood soured as we each stared at her. But where I was irritated and Rose seemed almost heartbroken, Rarity was seething with rage.

“Twilight.” She said in a steady voice that dripped of held back indignation. “One does not SAY such things about the way somepony LOOKS.”

Twilight just didn’t seem to get it, “But they look good, Beetle doesn’t look so weird and Rose doesn’t look as much like a corpse.”

Rarity turned to us, “If you dears would excuse us for a moment, I need to teach somepony some etiquette~” She said sweetly. Rarity’s horn flashed and they were gone from the platform.

I looked to see Rose was tearing up and bit and shaking, weather in sadness or rage I didn’t know. I placed a hoof on her cheek then pulled her into a hug, “Hey, it’s alright. Don’t blame Twilight, she’s just having a hard time understanding what’s going on right now. She’s already accused me of mind controlling you or something and wants Celestia to break the spell. Once she realizes you are a pony, I’m sure she’ll understand as I and the others do.”

Rose snuggled and tightened the hug, “Thanks, but you talk too much.” She pulled away and gave me a peck on the lips. 

Any further conversation was interrupted by the sound of a huge growling monster quickly approaching and screeching with a roar that drowned out all sound. We both jumped and backed away from it, bumping into the pony that was in the little shack a moment ago.

“You should step back as the train pulls in.” He said casually. Looking around I saw the overall lack of panic at the noise. In fact, everypony here was putting their saddlebags on and pulling out their tickets. Rose and I stepped back and prepared our tickets as well. The stallion looked into the horizon for a moment then shouted, “The train for Canterlot is now arriving! Departure time is in five minutes! Please stand back to allow others off before boarding and watch the gap!”

The wailing monster quickly approached and pulled alongside, and it wasn’t a monster so much as a massive steam powered machine pulling several long boxes with large windows, through which we could see a lot of chairs and benches. In fact, it strongly resembled the ‘train’ in the Hairy Trotter book.

“Oh! So this is a train!” I exclaimed, “Rose, this is a cool thing that can travel really far really quickly and holds a ton of ponies! We’ll be in Canterlot in no time!”

“Oh, that does sound exciting! How does it work?” She asked.

“No idea, just that it does. Come on, let’s grab a seat.” I said and started making my way to the nearest door.

“But what about Twilight?” Rose asked.

“Well… I’m sure she’ll arrive before the train leaves. And if not I doubt we’ll need a guide to find a huge castle containing the most well-known ponies in Equestria. We could ask directions too. Plus we’re expected.” I reasoned.

Rose laughed, “That is true, I’m sure there are other trains as well. It’s doesn’t do to keep royalty waiting.”

We followed the line to a pony that was checking and clicking the tickets as we walked onboard. When it was my turn he paused as he looked my ticket over. “Oh!” He exclaimed, “Private first class? That’s the Princess’s personal car, just go all the way to the front car and show the guard your ticket.”

“Oh, thanks!” I said and stepped in. I saw a bunch of ponies shoving their luggage into compartments above and below the seats. Behind me I heard the stallion direct Rose to the same compartment I was told to go to. I turned to her, “Shall we head to our quarters, milady?”

Rose laughed again, “Yes we shall, Sir Sigma. Lead us onward!”

I hooked her foreleg around mine and lead her to the front of the car with as much posh and high class I could think of. “I say. My, my. Oh dear.” I would say at random intervals until we broke down laughing in front of a mare in golden armor.

She frowned at us, “Can I help you?”

I took a few breaths to contain my mirth before responding, “Yes, sorry, we’re supposed to give you our tickets.” Rose and I presented our tickets to the mare, who took them in her magic.

She looked them over carefully and cast some magic on them, making them glow yellow for a moment. “Yep, they are authentic, you’re free to enter. Enjoy the ride to Canterlot!” She stepped aside and opened the door to the compartment.

“Thanks!” I said as Rose and I stepped inside.

The door slid shut behind us as we looked around. There wasn’t as much clutter, it was very wide and open, and the seats were much larger and looked even softer than the other ones. There was also a fridge which upon investigation hosted a variety of drinks with price tags attached to them.

“Well I’m broke so no drinks.” I remarked.

“I should have brought some spending money, but then again it’s probably the wrong currency.” Rose said as she took a seat.

“Aren’t artifacts worth a lot though?” I asked, sitting across from her.

“Hmm… sometimes. I suspect that actual artifacts are beyond value, such as your spell book or any items belonging to important orders or was made by a well-known artist. It depends on a lot of factors.” Rose said.

“Well in that case I think getting money to help re-build the city would be easy to come by if you could part with a few things.” I said.

“All Aboard!” I heard somepony yell outside. It was yelled a few more times before the train ponies climbed on and with another shrill shriek the train started moving. 

We slowly pulled away from the station, picking up speed each second. As we pulled away from the platform the train started to curve around the forest, but before the platform left my sight there was a purple flash and I saw Twilight standing alone on the platform staring at the train before the view was cut off as we entered some trees.

“… I should have waved goodbye.”





“What do you mean there isn’t going to be another train?!” Twilight screamed at the stallion running the station.

“Exactly what I said, the other train broke down outside of Appleoosa and will take about a week to repair, so now there is only one train going through each of the major cities, once per day.” He said sternly.

“Yeah? Well, there’s a dangerous black magic user and a zombie onboard! You need to stop the train!” She exclaimed.

“Yea, I saw them, and they were better behaved and reasonable that you are being right now, not to mention causing massive delays across the entire nation. Do you feel no shame?” He scolded.

“But I’m needed in Canterlot!” She yelled back.

“If you need to get there so badly use that balloon I’ve seen you use and have Rainbow Dash pull you.” He replied sarcastically.

Twilight was about to retort, but her mind summoned up a weird and strange idea. She teleported off without another word, leaving the teller to close up for the day.





The train ride had quickly lost its excitement, but Rose and I managed to keep ourselves entertained. The train slowed down and we watched through the window as we pulled into Canterlot. The station was much more crowded than the one in Ponyville, with hundreds of ponies of all kinds meandering about, and more than a few were sporting very fancy outfits.

“I see now why Rarity thought it was so important to dress up.” Rose commented. “Come on, let’s go mingle!”

“I’m going to learn ‘posh’ words!” I said as we exited the train car. There was quite the hustle as the ponies leaving the train had to push through those trying to board, it was a chaotic mess! Rose and I managed to push our way through to the station proper as the train blew its whistle again and started pulling away.

“Greetings and salutations my lovelies!” I called out to the crowd. My voice went unheard. “Rude.”

Rose giggled, “Perhaps you should save it for the princess?”

“Yeah, you may be right… Well let’s get to the giant over-compensating castle looming over the rest of the city.” I said as we started making our way through the streets.

“You could say that, it’s much larger than the one I grew up in.” Rose said as she craned her head back to see the top of the spires.

I was quickly growing tired of the large amount of ponies pushing in on all sides. “Wow its super crowded… think there’s a less traveled path to the castle?” I asked.

“If the old days of a city are still similar, it would be best to avoid the back roads. Thieves and scoundrels wait in the shadows to prey on the rich and foolish. Unfortunately we’re dressed for the part.” Rose said as we passed a dark ally. I peered in as we passed; noticing both a foul stench and a pair of yellow, cat-like eyes peering out as us.

“Yea, think you’re right about that.” I said as we left the alley behind us.

We continued along the road, ponies had set up stalls all along the length of the path and were yelling out their wares and the prices. Some were selling cloth, some were selling food, and more than a few were selling souvenirs. I wanted to get something called a ‘candy apple’ because it sounded strange and exotic but neither of us had any money, so it would have to wait until another time.

We eventually arrived in a plaza overflowing with ponies and were quickly swept into the sea of movement. As we kept track of each other I also saw a few ponies in silly outfits doing tricks or playing instruments. Unfortunately the distraction caused me to accidentally bump into somepony.

“Oops, excuse me, sorry.” I said as I tried to step around them.

“Gah! Such filth dared to touch my royal self?!” I heard the pony shout out. I turned back to see a light grey unicorn in a red coat much like mine, and his face was bright red in fury to match. “I should have you thrown in the dungeons you filthy mongrel!” I suddenly found myself surrounded by very large and imposing earth ponies dressed in black with sunglasses.

I looked at him in confusion, “My apologies, I should have been paying more attention to where I was going.” I said. Ponies like apologies.

“Humph! I don’t have time to listen to your sorry excuses. Boys? Teach him a lesson.” He said as he turned around and stormed away.

The earth ponies started to close in around me, “… I’m confused, I said I was sorry?” one of them raised their hoof to strike me but I was pulled back out of the way by Rose.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” She said. We started to run but another earth pony leaped clean over us and landed in front of Rose. To my horror I saw his hind legs coiled, ready to spring back in a devastating kick aimed at Rose.

“No! You leave her ALONE!” I yelled. A sudden rage boiled within me as my vision was filled with red. I felt something release from my horn, followed by a familiar bellowing roar.

In-between Rose and our assailant stood a tall imposing figure in the thickest armor I’ve ever seen. It stood on only two legs, but wielded in its arms was an enlarged version of the battle axe wielded by the living armors in the old castle. Wait a minute…

As I tried putting two and two together the earth pony released his kick, striking the armor solidly in the chest. It didn’t even budge as the impact rang out like a bell.

“AAARG!!” The pony cried out as his legs bucked beneath him as they absorbed the shock of the impact.

“MMRRROOOAAAAAAHH!!” The armor roared, swinging its axe into the pony’s side with a wet crunch and followed through the blow, sending the pony flying through a wall on the other side of the street. The armor turned around to face the other three earth ponies that were behind us, the weight of the armor cracking the stone under its boots. 

“HM.” It grunted, axe at the ready.

The once busy and bustling plaza was now deathly silent as all eyes stared at the armor. “Monster!” Somepony screamed. Chaos erupted in an instant as ponies from the poorest stallion to the richest mare fled in sheer terror, leaving Rose, the armor, and I facing the goons.

I walked up to the one in front, “You think you can match me in power?” I chuckled, “You are not prepared.” The earth ponies finally managed to come to their senses and flee as well. “And tell your boss to lay off!”

“Wow.” Was all Rose could think to say.

“Yep.” I took her hoof in mine and we started heading toward the castle, the heavy iron boot steps of the armor smashing the road to pebbles behind us.

“Your nose is bleeding.” Rose said, stopping our walk as she grabbed a discarded strip of cloth from the ground. It was probably torn in the chaos. She dabbed it at my nose and cleaned me up, wiping around my eyes as well. “Your eyes changed a bit too, they aren’t as blue. It suits you, so no reason to cry, okay?” She kissed me tenderly on the cheek as I wiped my eyes, they really were moist.

“I don’t know what came over me… I saw you were in danger and I was just so mad and so scared, I guess my emotion took control of my power and summoned the armor.” I said as we started our walk again.

“Emotions are closely tied to magic in a variety of ways. You wanted to protect me, so your armor took a form that was built on defense. If you meant to truly kill those ponies, it would have been lighter, and more agile with a sharp blade.” Rose explained to me.

“Wow… I didn’t think of it like that.” I turned to face the armor following behind, “Thank you.” The armor stared at me blankly.

“It has a simple mind; it has no emotions or thoughts of its own.”

“Oh. I suppose there really is a lot to learn.”

There was suddenly a bright flash, “Indeed there is.” I looked around to see we were surrounded by about fifty guards in golden armor, led by a mare of impressive size, almost on par with my armor. Almost sensing my thoughts, the armor took a defensive stance near Rose.

I took a moment to look over the larger mare. She wore gold armor as well, but just on her hooves and chest. Her mane was tri-color and seemed to flow on its own while her wings and horn were quite large themselves.

“Uh… Can I help you?” I asked.

I heard a gasp next to me, I turned to see Rose staring at the mare in awe, “Oh my stars… Is it really you?” Rose stepped forward and moved her hoof in a strange motion before holding it against her chest and bowing her head, “Salutem, beatum puerum solis, sol dae aeternam.”*

The mare’s jaw dropped, “… That’s a greeting I haven’t heard in an eon… How do you know that?”

“It’s a bit of a story, but last I saw you, you confided in me your worry for your sister and I convinced you to go comfort her. Apparently it didn’t quite work out as my sister and I were trapped in the lower parts of the castle when it collapsed during the fighting. It’s a bit of a long story after that, so perhaps you would like some tea as we speak?”

“Yes… Yes I do think there is much to discuss. Luna hinted at today being rather busy but this…” She shook her head before addressing the guards, “Return to your posts, I will take them from here.”

“But your highness!” One of the ones in a different type of armor with a blue plume on the helmet objected.

“There is more going on here than any of us understand at the moment Captain. You and your men may take their leave.”

The poor sap looked conflicted, “… At once, Princess.”

The mare, a princess I guess, turned back to us. “Rose… To think we would be able to speak once again. And you must be the changeling Twilight wrote about, Luna has told me a bit about your condition and thinks highly of you, although Twilight seemed worried about you in her last letter.” I shrugged, we’ll sort everything out.

She looked to the armor, “And you must be the one causing all the trouble, I expect you to explain yourself.”

“Princess, it’s not capable of speech or doing anything I don’t tell it to, it’s a creation of my magic or something.” I tried to explain to the best of my paraphrasing ability.

“… Then I trust that you can explain that as well, but it’s going to have to stay out of the castle, the workers would have a fit if it destroys the floors.” She said.

I nodded and turned to the armor, “Okay, you’re not needed anymore. Go away.” It took a step back. “Whelp, I tried.”

“Try telling it that it’s dismissed.” Rose suggested.

“Oh, that might work. Living Armor, you are dismissed!” I commanded.

The armor raised the axe above its head in a salute and let out a beastly roar, before falling to pieces that disintegrated into nothing as the light of its eyes flared and returned to my horn.

“That was neat!” I exclaimed in excitement.

“Yes, that was rather interesting. Now come along, we have much to discuss.” She said as she started to lead us to the castle. “By the way, wasn’t Twilight supposed to be escorting you?”

“Yea, she got us tickets for the train, but Rarity stopped by and gave us these neat cloths. Twilight said something insensitive to Rose and Rarity teleported her away. She wasn’t back by the time the train came so we got on thinking she would make it back but she didn’t. A the train left I think I saw her teleport to the platform, but after that I just assumed she would catch up.” I explained.

“I see, well as much as I would like to wait for her arrival to help sort things out I’m afraid I have a few questions of my own I need to ask. She can meet us in my study when she arrives, she knows where it is.”





“This isn’t Canterlot, does this look like Canterlot? No! Know why? BECAUSE THIS IS DODGE CITY, RAINBOW!” 

Twilight was now in a state of absolute panic. Thanks to the station manager she had the idea to attach Rainbow to her balloon through the use of AJ’s ropes. Unfortunately she failed to mention what she was doing as she tied the rope around Rainbow while she was sleeping. As expected, Rainbow flew off as fast as possible in a blind panic to escape being tied up, dragging Twilight behind her. It wasn’t until Rainbow grew exhausted and landed did Twilight notice that they were traveling in the complete opposite direction.

“It’s not… my fault… Twilight!” Rainbow panted heavily, “You don’t just… wrangle up any pony… you see for a lift!”

Twilight wasn’t listening and was instead declining into a full on panic attack, “What do I do what do I do whatdoido!?!? The princess is expecting me and I have to watch those two because if I don’t bad things will happen that would be my fault because I wasn’t watching them and Celestia is going to be so disappointed I might not be allowed to be her student anymore!!!”

And further rambling was interrupted by Rainbow shoving a hoof in her mouth. “Get a grip Twilight! Geeze! You’re acting like it’s the end of the world. I just need to rest up then I’ll help get you to Canterlot if it’s such a big deal.”

Twilight spat out the hoof and grinned madly, “This is perfect! Why didn’t I think of it sooner!? You’re a genius Rainbow! Now quick, put the rope back on and let’s go!”

“No.” Rainbow said flatly.

“But why!?” Twilight screeched.

“First, because as awesome as I am, dragging that balloon all the way here that fast was exhausting, so I’m taking as long as I need to recover, a sprained wing means I can’t fly and if I can’t fly you’re not getting to Canterlot unless you walk there.

“Second, you need to calm the buck down; you’re causing a scene and acting like a foal that lost her candy. So we’re going to tie up the balloon and hit the pub and chill for a bit. If you don’t like it, Canterlot is a long walk that way.” She finished, pointing into the endless expanse of desert behind them.

Twilight bit her lip as she reviewed everything Rainbow told her. After a few moments she hung her head and sighed, “You’re right… I’m sorry Rainbow.”

“Hey no biggie, we all have our moments, myself excluded of course.” They shared a laugh, “Now let’s get some food and drink!” Rainbow said as she led Twilight into her first bar.
> A New Friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This place is HUGE! I’m already lost and we just went in a straight line! The ceiling was high enough that the pegasi messengers could fly around freely wherever they please. We walked below them on a really soft red carpet, passing by a bunch of windows with pictures made in them. I didn’t see the appeal in the designs, everything looked weird. Suddenly my eyes settled on a window that looked like Twilight and the others doing something I couldn’t make out.

“What’s this one?” I asked.

The Princess stopped and looked to the window I pointed out, “Ah, yes. This window is depicting Twilight and her friends using the Elements of Harmony to free my sister from the Nightmare a little over a year ago. It was through the power of their newfound friendship that they were able to harness the powers of the elements: Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, and Magic.”

I looked over the window with newfound interest; unfortunately it quickly gave way to boredom as I got lost in the odd design choice. “It really shows all that?” I asked, to which she nodded, “I don’t see it. It’s all just a bunch of shapes and colors that vaguely resemble ponies.”

Rose looked at me a bit funny, “You really can’t see it?”

“Well I can see the shapes and the colors and if I look close I can make out the ponies but as a whole? It’s just a mess.” I remarked. I had to look away as I felt a headache coming on.

“We can figure out why that is later, but for now I suggest we have our tea.” The Princess said as she started leading us further down the hall.

We followed the long hall to a pair of very large doors and took a left, then traveled down even more halls and up like a gazillion stairs. My hooves were starting to ache there was so many, and all the while I kept seeing the exact same guard on a regular basis. At first I thought it was pretty neat but it got really annoying really fast, but my mind was blown when there were suddenly two of them on either side of a door marked with a sun.

“Okay stop, what the hell? Seriously!” I exclaimed. “How are you doing that?”

The guard looked to himself for a second before looking at me questionably. “Is there something bothering you, Beetle?” the Princess asked.

“That! Right there!” Can’t she see it!? “We passed the same guard a hundred times on the way here and now there’s two of him!”

Everyone, including Rose, looked at me funny. Celestia cleared her throat, “Lieutenants, please remove your helmets for a moment.” I watched as the guards nodded and undid the straps, pulling the helmets off. There was a slight shimmer of magic and suddenly I was looking at a brown coated stallion and a grey mare with a scar over her left eye.

“Thank you, as you were.” Celestia said. They put the helmets back on and the magic returned them to how they looked, exactly like the other. Celestia turned to me, “Better?”

I slowly nodded, “Just saying ‘magic’ would have sufficed I think. Anyway, let’s get some tea, I’m thirsty!” I trotted forward to the door.

The others followed behind as Celestia opened the door with her magic as I stepped inside. I was suddenly tackled in a hug by a blue beast.

“Oh Sister! It’s so good to see our old friends again, is it not?!” My assailant yelled.

“Luna, I’m over here.” I heard Celestia say with a chuckle.

I was released and fell to the floor weakly, gasping for air. “My word, dear Sigma! My most sincere apologies, I had assumed my sister was first to enter and acted without proper situational awareness.” Luna said as she patted my back. “You are much more firm than your dream-self had made you out to be.” She added.

I waved her off as my breathing returned to normal and pulled myself to my hooves, “It’s alright, I’m fine.” 

“Mmm, lavender tea. Can’t go wrong with lavender.” Rose said, turning everyone’s attention towards her as she set about boiling the water in the fire. I trotted over to join her as Celestia closed the door behind her.

“Yes, well, I’d say it’s about time that we learn of the events over the past few days.” Celestia said, motioning for us to sit on a number of large pillows. I plopped down on the closest one.

“Where should I start?” I asked.

“From the beginning, if you please. This way I might make sense of all this.” She responded.

I nodded and took a deep breath, “Well, a few days ago the first thing I can remember is darkness and a whole lot of screaming…”





Twilight and Rainbow entered the bar of Dodge City. It was dimly lit with a live band playing various country songs, currently being heckled by a rowdy mare in a cloak between gulps of hard cider.

“Play something a mare can dance to, prick!” She yelled in a heavy accent. Her demands were unheeded as the band ignored her.

“Ya shut yer yap! These here are the best in town!” One earth pony stallion yelled at the mare.

“Ha! I was thinking the worst!” She goaded.

The earth pony stood and swayed side to side, “Wha… What did you say?!” He slurred.

“I said your mother is a drunk troll that mistook you as its kin!” She yelled back as she put her hind hooves on the stool next to her in a relaxed posture, casually drinking her cider.

“Why you little punk! Ah’m gonna come over there an… an…” The stallion proceeded to fall on his face as he passed out. There was a sudden silence as everyone looked to see if he was alright. The silence was broken by the mare who just burst out laughing.

“Ha! Little foal can’t hold his liquor! Getting drunk on this water? Laughable.” The mare trailed off and finished her drink, setting the mug down next to an impressive collection of other empty mugs.

Twilight turned to Rainbow, “Can’t we rest somewhere else? Like by the balloon?”

“Relax Twi, this is normal. Besides, she seems like a cool mare, we should get to know her.” Rainbow said with confidence as she walked up to the bar.

Twilight hurried to stay at her side, “What? Are you crazy?! You saw what she did! I don’t think we should associate with that type of pony!”

Rainbow looked at her as she waited for the bartender, “Oh, would you rather sit at any of the other tables?”

Twilight was about to nod her affirmation when she finally glanced around at the other patrons. Hillbillies and hicks dotted the bar, while others were simple farmers and other locals. None of them looked too friendly at the moment, and the only table with enough room for both of them happened to be with the mare. “Uh, on second thought, not so much. How did you determine this all so fast?”

“Experience, and I have a knack for this sort of thing.” She said as the bartender approached. “Hey there, a round of your finest cider for my friend here and that mare there.”

“Three fine ciders, coming up.” He said and a moment later three large foaming mugs were on the counter for them.

“Thanks!” Rainbow said as she scooped them up in her arms and flew to the table, Twilight right behind her.

She set the drinks down on the table, “Hey there, mind if we join you?” She asked, taking a seat without waiting for a reply.

“Sure! Drinking buddies are always welcome!” The mare declared loudly. She removed her hooves from the other stool so Twilight had a place to sit.

“Thanks! We’re just stopping by quick before heading out and could use the drink.” Rainbow said as she took a gulp of her cider.

“I thought the same, but this stuff is like water. Had to drink what, nine to start getting a good buzz going? Yea, nine.” The mare said, her features still hidden under the cloak.

Rainbow pondered the taste for a moment, “Yeah, compared to the black label my friend makes this stuff is pretty weak. About a glass of her cider and I might wake up in bed with some stranger.”

The mare laughed, “If you need company that badly you’re talking to the wrong mare!” She declared with great guffaws, soon joined by Rainbow as she realized what she said.

Rainbow wiped a tear from her eye, “Wow, nopony’s gotten me that good in a long time. Name’s Rainbow Dash, best young flier in Equestria.” She said proudly, extending a hoof to her.

She took the offered hoof, most of her foreleg was encased in a shiny gauntlet, and past her elbow was a dark blue fur. “Grand Faina Night-Steel, just call me Faina. So, who’s you’re marefriend? She the kinky type?”

Twilight, who had been sitting quietly, started sputtering nonsense at the implications this mare just proposed to her. Her and Rainbow? Together like that? She was open-minded but hardly considered entering a relationship yet, especially with a friend.

Luckily Rainbow was there to save her. “This is my good friend Twilight Sparkle, and she’s too much of an egghead to be my lover.” She teased.

Faina tilted her head, “Egghead?”

“Uh, yea. Like super smart and talks fast about stuff you can’t understand about science and magic and stuff.” Rainbow explained.

“Ah, then back home I know several eggheads.” She sighed and rested her head on the table like she was pouting, “I miss those goofballs already.”

Twilight broke free of Rainbow and decided to start asking her own questions. “So you’re not from around here then?” She shook her head, still on the table. “Where are you from? And why are you wearing a hood? It’s at least ninety degrees outside.”

She sat up with a sigh and pulled the hood down the back of her head. “I’m from way north, and the hood is because my ears are cold!” Rainbow and Twilight stared at her in sudden shock. Like her arm she had a dark blue coat, her mane was streaked with several shades of blue and she had soft yellow eyes. But her pupils were slit, like that of a cat’s, and her sharp fang caught the light of the candle, causing it to glint. And on top of her head was a pair of perky ears ending in long tufts of fluff.

“You’re a bat pony!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Bat… Pony?” She asked in confusion. “No, I’m a Thestral.”

“That’s what I said!” Twilight defended.

Faina furrowed her eyebrows in agitation, “My mom didn’t fuck a bat. I am not some weird bat-pony thing. I am a Thestral.”

If nothing else the crass language stunned Twilight, “I… I just… Sorry…”

“Sooo…” Rainbow broke the silence the fell upon them, “How exactly are you cold? It’s literally a desert out there.”

Faina’s expression softened, “My home is very hot, the commons is around a hundred and twenty while the forges can reach up to about two hundred, then the lower areas near the magma are even hotter. So yea, this place is really cold for what I’m used to.”

Rainbow nearly spit her cider, “What?! No way!”

Faina chuckled, “Is it really that strange?”

Twilight thought over her words and compared it with what she knew of the world’s geography, “But that doesn’t make any sense, the north is just a frozen wasteland, there aren’t even active volcanoes that far north.”

Rainbow deflated, “What? You made that up?”

“No, my home was very well hidden the last...” She put her other hoof to her chin in thought, this one also sporting a shiny gauntlet. “Fifteen hundred years by our count? Yea, give or take.”

Twilight openly gaped at her, “But ponies have explored and mapped out the entire region, even climbed to the top of Mt. Everhoof!”

Faina chuckled, “And got chased away by the frost trolls. That never got old. And nopony found the hidden entrance either, it’s actually really pretty. Security is pretty tight though, the mere presence of the guards was enough to send ponies fleeing in terror.”

“Wait, I’ve read about something like that, let me think…” Twilight said as she pondered. Faina finished her cider as Rainbow was only halfway through hers, and reached out and took Twilight’s mug and started drinking it.

Rainbow shot her a glare, “Be a shame if it went to waste.” Faina commented. Rainbow just shrugged it off and kept sipping her own drink.

“Aha! I remember! Various explorers over the last few hundred years have reported a dragon den guarded by two massive dragons in a certain area. The reports note that it’s odd how there is absolutely no indication of life there at all until suddenly they just burst out from the snow breathing fire on everything.”

“Sounds about right.” Faina said.

“So let me get this straight, somewhere up in the mountains there is a serene valley or den, guarded by a pair of fire breathing dragons, that acts as the entrance into a hidden city?” Twilight asked.

“No, that would be stupid.” Faina said casually. “The city is actually an incredibly large network of mines, tunnels, and chambers that covers about half the mountain range, obviously there are other entrances that are either hidden or guarded.”

They were silent for a moment until Rainbow burst out, “That’s so cool! It almost sounds like something out of a Daring Do novel!” Faina looked confused by that remark but Twilight had something to say.

“There’s been an entire civilization living underground there and nopony discovered it?! This is the discovery of the century!” She exclaimed. “You have to tell me, if your people stayed hidden for so long, then why are you just now coming out of hiding?”

Twilight waited with baited breath as Faina pondered her answer, “Before I answer, I would like a favor. Deal?”

“Yes, deal!” Twilight said quickly.

“I missed the capital, Canterlot. Our closest suggestion was straight south but I wound up east of here a few hours. I’ll answer your question if you help me get there.” Faina said.

“Really? We’re supposed to be going there once Rainbow rests up; I don’t see why you couldn’t come along.” Twilight said.

Faina finished Twilight’s mug of cider and looked at them seriously, “Alright, a deal’s a deal. The reason I’m out here trying to get to Canterlot is because our god told us we’d need the help of the two sisters, we’ve stayed in the shadows long enough. He’s warned of something coming and our inaction will be our demise. In other words, this impending doom not only threatens us, but Equestria as a whole, and I’ve been sent to set up diplomatic relations between our people and theirs. Also I’m one of the best fighters in the clan so I should be able to handle any dangers along the way.”

“Whoah…” Rainbow said in shock, her drink warming her cheeks.

“Wow, I don’t know what god you mean but it sounds serious if you’re willing to go so far for it.” Twilight remarked. “I’m Princess Celestia’s personal student; I can set up a meeting for you to talk with her once we get there.”

Faina looked confused again, “Who’s that?”

Twilight sighed and face-hoofed, it was going to be a long day.

> Fashionably Late
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was late afternoon by the time I finished my tale, my voice starting to turn hoarse near the end. Through it all they seemed pretty calm, only asking me a few questions here and there, like why I thought roasting marshmallows over a pile of burning corpses was a good idea as well as some other faults in my logic along the way, to which I could only shrug, “Seemed like a fine idea,” was my only response.

Once I got to the City of the Dead, or the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, i.e. Old Canterlot, they became incredibly crestfallen as Rose and I explained our sides of the situation, more than a few names catching their attention. When it came to the book after defeating the Lich I allowed them to look it over as well as myself and verify what Rose had said about me being the chosen vessel for the knowledge and power, though I was warned about breaking the laws or something.

“That is a very interesting tale, though we have one question,” Luna said from her spot across from me, “You mentioned a massive being composed of earth was the one responsible for defeating the Lich in the end, what was the cause of such a creature? And how could it simply vanish? Could this being be a threat to Equestria in the future?”

I looked to Rose, “Well, now’s your time to tell them.”

“Tell us what?” Celestia asked.

Rose cleared her throat, “Right, as you know I was one of a few ponies who looked after you and offered tutelage and guidance in your early years. However, at the time you were too young and it was too soon in your studies to inform you. Originally the plan was to wait until you started taking over some royal responsibilities when you came of age, but then the accident happened to his highness and the queen followed soon after.

“There was a lot you both needed to know, and with how crazy everything got politically our hooves were full, and the thought was pushed aside for more urgent matters. That is, until Nightmare Moon claimed poor Luna. By then it was too late, and it was all we could do to simply preserve our knowledge for the future, which unfortunately went undiscovered the last thousand years.”

Celestia looked her over carefully, “Rose? What are you meaning to say?”

She sighed, “Simply put, My sister and I were part of a secret order, established to not only protect the kingdom, but to uncover the secrets of the ancient spirits resting in our world, old gods from long before time and life.” This earned a gasp from the audience. “The ‘being of earth’ was one such ancient. She is the Earthen Mother, the consciousness of all life in the world, divided evenly. She’s in the grass, the trees, and the soil beneath our hooves. She was not happy with the Lich, but took pity on those affected by the wild magic. Our bodies are slowly recovering to full life through her will.”

Celestia and Luna looked to each other for a moment, as though having some sort of secret discussion before looking to us again. “You say the records and teachings all remain intact?” Luna asked.

“Yes, they should be. The preservation spells should still be working and they were sealed in an air tight chamber. They might need to be transcribed before the pages decay but it shouldn’t be an issue.” Rose said.

“In that case I’ve come to a conclusion. I would like you to train my student, Twilight Sparkle, in this Ancient Magic in our place. I will have her send me reports on the issue and learn ourselves second hand, as unfortunately we are both far too busy to learn it full time.” Celestia said, with Luna nodding in agreement.

“I’m sorry Princess, but the order was a secret for good reason, improper use if it falls into the wrong hands can cause overwhelming destruction that not even Discord could have hoped to achieve. That’s why only those of the highest authority are allowed to not only know of it, but practice it.” Rose said.

“Rose, trust me when I say that Twilight will be more than qualified for the information. Her future is set in motion and she will accomplish many great things in the coming years, and she will need everything she can get.” Celestia said.

Rose was pondering for a moment, still unsure. I placed a hoof on her back, “You told me about it, and I’m hardly an authority figure.”

“That’s because your power is similar and I would be able to help you control it, I wasn’t planning on telling you actual summoning techniques or the specifics of the ceremonies.” She responded. I nodded, makes sense.

“Princess, I will have to further speak with the others about this as well as observe Twilight herself. Once we come to an agreement and if Twilight is ready, we will teach her.” Rose said.

“Do you believe Twilight isn’t currently ready for these teachings?” She asked.

“Yes, the mere mention of the magic was enough to infuriate her to the point of needing to establish knowledge dominance over myself. It wasn’t very flattering, and the idea of me knowing, as an earth pony, what she has been studying for years wasn’t good for her ego either.”

“I see… I will discuss this with her when she arrives. Until then, would you like a tour of the castle before dinner?” Celestia asked.

I smiled and nodded, this could be fun, and then food! My stomach rumbled, I realized I haven’t been eating too much. Just wait a bit longer tummy!

“I think that would be lovely, I heard you had moved a few graves as well, might we stop by there?” Rose asked.

Celestia nodded, “I try to visit them myself from time to time, just to re-visit old memories. I think you would appreciate what we’ve done.”

“Alright!” I exclaimed as I jumped up, “To adventure!” I proclaimed. 

The others chuckled as I led the way out past the identical magic guards. The tour led us to key points of interest, such as the bathrooms (really fancy!), a place to sleep during our stay (one big bed for the both of us!), and the dining hall (possibly the largest table in existence. Wow!).

Eventually we came outside to stroll through the Canterlot Gardens. It was bright and colorful and little critters darted about from place to place, but stayed clear of us. There was even an elderly pony tending to a bush of roses. He turned to us and tipped his hat with a hearty hello.

I smiled and waved back, causing him to chuckle and return to his work. 

“The gardens are just lovely!” Rose exclaimed as we were led deeper into a thicker and darker part of the garden.

“Yes, we try and have as many flowers blooming all year long as we can; it’s one of the main attractions to the castle, as well as the statues along the paths.” Celestia informed.

“Speaking of, I still can’t believe you had the gall to store him out here as well.” Luna said in a scalding tone.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing to worry about-” Celestia was cut off by Luna.

“You had Discord, sealed in his stone prison, plainly displayed for all to see!” Luna exclaimed. “Then, a simple foal’s argument was enough to set him free!”

“Luna, there had to be more than just that. The seal has been weakening for years but without the Elements there was no way to re-enforce it. It was simply a matter of time, I’m just glad the elements had new bearers by the time it was weak enough for him to break free.”

“Regardless, it was a rather cruel tactic to have him displayed as an ornament.”

“I understand, sister.” Celestia said, bringing the argument to a close.

I looked around us; we were in a completely different section of the park. It felt different to me, but I couldn’t place the feeling.

“I feel weird.” I spoke up.

“I would expect so, this is hallowed ground, and your senses are telling you there are dead within the area.” Rose said. “Be warned, the dead are meant to remain dead. Just because you can bring them to life, they will be bound to you in servitude, and their existence would be seen as an abomination.”

“I don’t think such power would sit right with me anyway. I do not plan on controlling the dead.” I said. 

Rose relaxed and pecked me on the lips, “Thank you.”

“This section contains those whose lives were lost in the war with Nightmare, those that were recovered anyway. The royal crypt containing our parents lies ahead…” Celestia said with a faraway look.

Rose walked towards the center of the graveyard and lay down. She spoke quietly, whispering something with her eyes closed in concentration for a moment before she started singing a few long notes. The haunting melody washed over us as it thrummed with unknown power, as it did there was a weight I wasn’t aware of lifted from my heart. Suddenly the graveyard felt different, warm and welcoming instead of dark and cold.

“Wow, what was that?” I asked as she finished.

She looked back to me with a smile, “It was a simple blessing, calming the spirits that linger here.” 

“Yes, it does feel rather peaceful, more so than it has in years. Shall we pay mother and father a visit?” Celestia asked Luna.

Luna seemed hesitant, “I… I don’t know… After what I’ve done as the nightmare, would they even want my presence? How can I face them?”

Celestia wrapped a wing around her, “They will always love you, Luna, just as I always will.”

My observations of the princesses were interrupted by Rose, who gestured to me to follow her. We left quietly; taking the path we followed back to the main part of the garden and started walking among the flowers.

“We should give them some space.” Rose said.

“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right. I’m not too good with this stuff.” 

“I noticed, it’s alright though, you just need some practice.”

“Thanks.” We walked side by side, strolling through the winding paths of the garden, lost in its beauty. Rose pressed her side against mine, resting her head against mine with a loving smile.

“I could get used to this.” She remarked.

“Yea, this is nice.” 

We stopped under a tree full of cherry blossoms and relaxed in the shade together. A gentle breeze rolled over the grass and rustled the branches and along our fur, causing Rose’s mane to flutter around her shoulders as we gazed into each other’s eyes. I smiled and caressed her cheek with my hoof, gently pulling us closer.

“Of all the flowers in this garden, you are the prettiest flower, my Rose.” I said as our lips met. She moaned into my mouth and moved her hoof over my back sensually. She broke the kiss with a giggle, falling back and dragging me down with her.

We lay in the grass, side by side with joyful smiles as Rose caressed my own cheek, “Oh Sigma… How did I get so lucky to find a stallion that actually cares for me?”

I pondered the question, my brow furrowed in thought for a few moments until a kiss broke me out of it. “That was a rhetorical question.” She giggled.

“Oh, well I was going to say because I loved you but if-” I was cut off as she rolled on top of me, kissing me with aggressive passion that I quickly returned in full. My heart fluttered in my chest as we playfully fought for dominance, the time and other thoughts were whisked away to the back of our minds as for the moment, we only thought of each other.





Twilight was riding in the balloon’s basket as Rainbow Dash pulled her through the sky at an easy pace. It was now just after noon and they were finally starting to make headway towards Canterlot, plus one guest.

“Why are you riding with me anyway?” Twilight asked their new friend.

“Because my wings are tired.” She responded.

“You only helped push for like ten minutes!”

“Well excuse me for not needing to fly constantly down in the mines. You can’t sneak around with all that movement; you’ll just attract attention to yourself.”

“Why would you sneak around?”

“How else could we keep track of the monster populations?” She asked.

“So you literally risk your life to sneak into the homes of horrible monsters and count how many there are?” Twilight asked with incredulity.

“Sometimes we even destroy the nests so we don’t get overwhelmed by them.” Faina said matter-of-factly.

“But why? What’s the point?” 

“Because otherwise the monsters would overpopulate the lower caves and try moving into the lower mines and hunt my brothers and sisters. We can’t have that happen.”

“What if a monster invades anyway?”

“We have… protection, down there that acts as a means to scare them off. But every now and then one finds some obscure path in, and that’s where my team and I come in. My security team is composed of the top fighters in the clan. We’re able to quickly navigate through the tunnels and confront the threat or threats quickly and efficiently.”

“You mean, scare it off?”

“Um, no. We kill it then carry it up to the main levels for it to be cooked and served with the rest of the food.”

Twilight gawked at her, “You’re carnivorous!?” She shrieked.

Faina rubbed her ears with a grimace, “Duh. What, you think the fangs are just for show?”

Twilight scooched away a bit, “But… The bat ponies just eat fruits; they use their fangs to suck the juices out!”

Faina raised an eyebrow, “Well that sounds dumb.” She sighed, “Do you know what grows in caves? That prefers the dark moist environments and doesn’t need too much dirt to grow?” Twilight shook her head, “Like, mushrooms and cave moss. We grow it to feed the trolls and other monsters we have in captivity and we eat them, and any wild animals that get too close. Now stop acting all freaked out because I have a different diet or I might decide to eat you anyway.” She said with a chuckle.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.” Twilight pouted.

“So? You’re a grown mare, deal with it.”

“Are you always so…” Twilight trailed off, searching for the right word.

“Nice?” Faina suggested.

“Mean. Cold. Just, saying it right out. Crass! You are being crass.” She said.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I hate ponies that say one thing but mean another, I hate being misled and lied to, and I return the favor by not beating around the rock about things, no matter how bad it might hurt someone’s feelings.”

“But, that doesn’t seem very friendly.” Twilight said with concern. “Do you have a lot of friends back home?”

“Yes? Like, seven or eight that I hang out with a lot. Why?”

“Oh, sorry, it just… I thought that your attitude would push others away.” Twilight looked away, embarrassed.

Faina raised an eyebrow, “This ‘attitude’ is me talking to someone I hardly know, forgive me if I’m not opening my heart to you right off the bat.” Her ear twitched as Rainbow tried not to laugh, “Don’t you dare make a pun!”

“Why? Gonna drive you batty?!” Rainbow half shouted in glee. Twilight giggled a bit as well, while Faina just sighed.

“Are we there yet?” She asked.

Twilight looked over the side of the basket to see Canterlot within sight. “Wow, Rainbow! How did we get here so fast?” Twilight called out.

“We had a nice strong tailwind for a while now, really pushing us along!” She called back.

“Finally!” Twilight said in exasperation. “Set us down by the guard carriages!” She called out to Rainbow who returned a salute in acknowledgement. 

Faina was looking over the edge of the basket, gazing down at the city as they passed over, then up to the tall spires of the castle. “Looks like marble and common stone for the architecture…”

“So, how does Canterlot compare to your mountain?” Twilight said curiously.

“Well, our commons area is about the size of the castle and the forges themselves are larger than most of your buildings and the mountain itself is rather short. The view is good though.” 

They came to a soft landing and Rainbow tethered the balloon to an anchor point, Twilight used her magic to tie a few more ropes down. The group was approached by a guard in shiny gold armor.

“Gold? Seriously? Please tell me it’s at least an alloy of some kind.” Faina said as she looked him over.

The guard ignored her comment, “Twilight Sparkle, the Princess has requested you to join her upon your arrival. She and the other guests are heading to the dining hall, I will escort you.”

“Thank you sir.” Twilight said cordially. 

"Whatever, you guys have fun, I'm going to hang out with the Womderbolts!" Rainbow said excitedly and flew off.

“No seriously, is it at least painted steel?” Faina asked, but her question went unanswered. She grumbled as she followed the others inside.





Rose and I may have gotten a bit carried away in our affections but apparently we weren’t the only ones to do so in the past. We have re-grouped with the princesses and were on the way to the dining hall when a guard approached and snapped to attention.

“Your Highness! A large balloon belonging to Twilight Sparkle is being pulled by Rainbow Dash to the castle, Twilight is in the basket with an unknown pony but they don’t appear to be in danger.” He said.

“Thank you, please send them all to meet us in the dining hall.” Celestia said.

“At once, Your Highness.” He said and trotted off.

“It seems Twilight has finally arrived. Though it is odd she comes by balloon, would the train not have been faster?” Luna pondered aloud.

“Perhaps, dear sister. Perhaps asking her would be best, but for now let us convene in the dining hall to await her arrival.” Celestia said.

We went through a few halls and reached the massive doors that led to the room with the massive table that was surrounded by tall chairs on all sides. There were already a large number of dishes covered with metal domes spaced around and a waiter was wheeling out some more on a trolley.

“Please, everypony, take a seat wherever you please.” Celestia said, walking towards a tall chair with a sun, which was next to a chair with a moon. I ran towards the chair closest to the largest covered item and hopped into a chair, Rose sitting next to me.

“Hungry?” She asked.

I thought it over, “Actually not so much, but that won’t stop me!” I declared.

Rose giggled in response. Shortly after we heard a commotion from outside the doors. 

“Come on, let me see it!”

“Let go! Leave them alone you crazy mare!”

“Stop ignoring me! Let me see the armor!”

The door burst open to reveal Twilight struggling to hold a weird mare that was being held at bay by Rainbow from her target, one of the royal guards.

“I just wanna know what it’s made of!!” The mare half sobbed in desperation.

“Just give it up! I thought you were supposed to be a diplomat anyway!?” Rainbow grunted.

The mare struggled a moment longer before freezing stiff and sniffing. “Is that...” She sniffed around a bit more before locking her gaze on us in a predatory glare. No… not us… 

“FOOD!” Her sudden outburst startled Twilight, causing her to lose her aura around the mare. She kicked off Rainbow and ran full tilt up to the table, leaping clean over Rose and I to land in the chair opposite us, where she tossed the metal lid off to the side and chowed down like a starved wolf.

It lasted all of three seconds before she stopped once again, gagged, then rolled the food out of her mouth onto the plate and proceeded to cover it carefully with the lid, her body shivering. “… That was terrible.”

“Not a fan of hay products?” Celestia asked from her seat calmly. The mare, dark blue in color with really fluffy ears shivered. “Try the fruit to your right.”

Twilight and Rainbow came in and sat down near the princesses as the mystery mare lifted the lid, revealing a fruit bowl. She grabbed an apple and held it up with a scrutinizing look, “What’s this thing?” She asked.

“That would be an apple, a rather juicy fruit with a number of uses in various products.” Celestia said.

The mare opened her mouth wide, revealing sharp fangs as she took a sizable bite from it. The reaction was instantaneous, “MMMMmmmm! Mof if marifthseth!” She said as she devoured several more apples. She then ‘sampled’ various other fruits and surprisingly didn’t make a huge mess. She swallowed the last of an orange, peel and all, and asked suddenly, “Where’s the mead?”

“And why would you require mead?” Celestia asked.

“Because this is a feast. Why am I the only one eating anyway? Dig in! Half of this stuff is edible, not bad for appetizers.” She said as she chugged a pitcher of apple juice.

“What are you expecting for a main course?” Celestia asked, a pleasant smile on her face as she enjoyed the antics of the strange young mare. Luna herself simply watched in confusion while the others looked appalled.

“A feast this big? Probably a roasted boar.” She began drooling a bit and shivered in delight, “Oh gods, Icy can really cook a mean boar!” She let out a belch and fell back into her chair with a content sigh, having eaten about all the non-hay products.

“I suppose there is no point to continue waiting anymore, please everypony, help yourselves.” She said.

I smiled and stacked some good smelling stuff onto my plate as Rose stuck to various veggies. I started eating as I observed the strange mare. She was wearing a rather thick cloak and her arms were encased in a shiny silver metal. Between bites Celestia continued to ask her questions.

“I suppose you are currently awaiting the bore to arrive?” She asked.

“And the mead, hopefully it’s better than that water they were serving in, uh, Dodge something.”

“You must have quite the tolerance, Dodge City is known to have stronger than usual mead and ale.”

“Yea I guess, I’d say I’m about average compared to my friends.”

“Unfortunately all I have at this moment is some fine wine imported from the gryphon lands to the east. Would you care to try some?”

“Wine? What’s wine?” The mare asked with intrigue.

“Similar to mead and ale, wine is produced from various fruits. My favorite, red wine, is made from black grapes.” Celestia’s horn glowed as she grabbed the bottle from a servant that came out with it as soon as she mentioned it. She poured a large amount into a tall glass and passed it to the mare.

She chuckled as she took the glass, “Magic is sure handy.” She was about to gulp it down but was stopped by Celestia.

“I’m afraid wine is also drunk differently than mead. Observe,” Celestia poured an equal amount for herself, she then inhaled the scent, took a dainty sip, and seemed to savor the wine for a moment before swallowing.

The mare seemed incredibly interested in this technique and soon repeated Celestia. “Mm, my, that is different, really full of flavor!” She repeated it several times, taking bigger sips each time. “And the flavor seems to dull with the more there is as well, interesting.” She took a small sip and savored it. “You really know your stuff!”

Celestia smiled broadly, waiting for the mare to take another sip, “As I should, I am the one of the princesses after all.”

The mare gasped and coughed, red wine draining from her nose as she coughed and sputtered, holding a washcloth to her nose. “UH GAH!!! Oh that stings!” A tear fell from her eye, which turned to the Princess. “You’re the princess!?” She exclaimed, somewhat muffled from the cloth.

Celestia chuckled, “Indeed I am. Now, who might you be, who barged in on our dinner and caused trouble for my guards and student?” She said in the same calm as before. Was I supposed to feel like that was a threat? It felt like a threat. One that went unnoticed by the mare.

She chuckled, embarrassed, “Sorry about that, I’m easily excited, and then food…” She trailed off, drool once more drooping from her mouth until she caught herself. “Sorry, food is my one weakness.”

“I thought you said a good drink was your one weakness?” Twilight asked.

“… One of my few weaknesses.” She amended. “And my name is Grand Faina Night-Steel of the Fang Clan, head of security and Grand Elder in training, Ambassador of the Crystal Mountain Mines. Please forgive my irrational behavior displayed in your presence.” She said, standing with a slight bow.

“Well met, Grand Faina, and you are forgiven. Foreign dignitaries often over-react to new and interesting things, plus your gear is obviously not of Equestrian make or design and a bat pony guard would know who we were, no matter how fresh on the job.” Celestia said.

“Oh that reminds me, what is the guard’s armor actually made of? Is it solid gold or an alloy, and why gold of all metals? That’s just terrible armor no matter how you look at it.” She asked.

“Might I ask why you would think so?” Celestia inquired as she ate.

“I’m no smith, but my blood brother is and we hang out all the time and he’s shown me a bunch of stuff. Gold is good for a few things, decoration and magic conduits. You can fill a carving with gold and it would take the enchantment easily. But it works both ways, it’s incredibly conductive to energy and the one wearing it would feel every bit of the shock, not to mention its physical durability is incredibly soft. I can bite a gold bar in two. Well no I can’t but you could defiantly tell it was bitten.” Faina explained.

“I see. Then worry not, Grand Faina, the armor is an alloy that’s enchanted with the best defensive magic known to Equestria.” Celestia explained. I set my fork down as I finished my plate, Celestia doing the same.

“Aha! I knew it! Can I spar a guard?” She asked with a grin.

“Perhaps another time.” Celestia said with a smile, “But for now I believe we should all head to my study, there is much to discuss.”

“Oh! Right, diplomacy stuff. Lead the way! Save some boar for me, will ya?” She asked the waiter who merely stared at her.

“Sebastian, please prepare a large bass for our new friend, and deliver it to my study.” Celestia said.

“Of course, Your Majesty.” The waiter said with a bow and headed toward the kitchen.

Celestia stood, “Alright everypony, please, follow me.” She said pleasantly.

A sudden thought crossed my mind, causing me to dig through my bags. “Aha! I’m bringing the marshmallows!” I declared and held them on high.

“Ooo are they tasty?!” Faina asked.

“Of course! But we need a fire!” I affirmed. 

“On it!” Faina said as she reached for a chair. She was stopped by a golden glow encasing her.

“Perhaps we should discuss a few rules as well.” Celestia said as she floated Faina in front of her up to her study. “There is much to learn…” She muttered.

Well regardless, I’m getting me some more cooked marshmallows!





A strapping young stallion with a coat shining white and a perfectly groomed blond mane walked into the dining hall, only for him to stop aghast at the sight that not only was the feast already eaten, but there was nopony to greet him!

“I, Prince Blueblood, will not let such a travesty go unpunished!” He declared, a plan forming in his mind on how to deal with the one responsible for ruining his dinner.

> A Test of Skill
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We were lead through the increasingly familiar halls, Celestia leading the way as she still carried the strange mare Faina, who often tried to look at new or shiny things before remembering she’s held powerless. Eventually she gave up and went limp as she lazily looked around in mild interest. The pair of guards opened the large doors for us as we approached, I was unsure if they were the same pair or not though.

We entered the room and formed a circle. Celestia and Luna were near the fire, so no roasted marshmallows, then from the left of Celestia was Twilight, Rainbow, Faina, me, Rose, and back to Luna. Celestia released the mare, setting her onto a fluffy pillow across from her.

“Now, Faina, as I said I am Princess Celestia and this is my sister and co-ruler, Princess Luna. You seem like you have traveled far to come here and speak with us, so why don’t you start from the beginning?” She said, giving the floor to Faina.

She cleared her throat as she pulled out a scroll from the harness under her cloak. “One sec, I need to make sure to add a few things that came to my attention recently.” She pulled out a metallic cylinder and wrote a few things near the top of the scroll before putting it away.

“Alright, so as you know I am an ambassador to my home, the Crystal Mountain Mines. These mines span about half of the entire mountain range north of the barren wastes where the Crystal Empire used to be, according to our old maps. I realize that a species of pony similar to mine has lived elsewhere and as you hinted at, serves the night guard. Frankly this is news to me but I want to settle something at the moment: My clansmen and I are not ‘bat ponies,’ we are Thestrals. It’s actually considered a great insult to call us bat ponies. We eat meat and are adapted to a very hot environment. Unfortunately I’ve not seen a bat pony yet so that’s about all I can say on that matter.

“Since I understand you sisters are long lived, you may recognize some of the history from long ago. According to our records, over 1500 years ago there existed the various pony tribes. The earth, unicorn, and pegasi, who often fought amongst themselves in their petty squabbles. Our tribe, not trusted and feared by the other tribes, split off to make out own colony. My ancestors discovered a series of caves in the mountains, which they used as protection from the constant storms.

“Being familiar with mining and metalworking, they took to their craft to literally carve out a home for themselves. Three hundred years pass as our colony starts to thrive, they built the massive forges we still use today, and continued perfecting our metalworking, inventing new alloys that were stronger and stronger each generation. The Crystal Empire had entered the scene, seeming to grow from the ground itself. The elders deemed them worth a look and a new friendship was formed. We traded gems and ore of all types for food and clothing and other things. We were taught to farm the frozen land for what we could, it was mostly inedible but great for strong mead that gave us sustenance.

“This changed though, when the Dark King took the throne. At the time, we weren’t warriors or fighters. We were diggers, artists; we aimed for the beauty of the earth. In order to save the clan, the elders ordered a retreat from the empire, saving as many as they could in the process. Our doors sealed shut to the outside, hiding from the mad king. We had to dig deeper into the mountain, we needed more room.

“That was when we first encountered the monsters within the lower tunnels. Frost trolls over twelve feet tall, crystal spiders large enough to easily devour a pony in a single bite. With the help of the refugees, some of which were guards, we learned to fight. We started making weapons and armor, perfecting them through the years into their own type of art, as well as combat styles.

“The years passed, the survivors from the Crystal Empire breathed their last breath, leaving their legacy to their thestral children. These children expressed exceptional talent among their peers, their works standing out far above the others. This led to the first artificially constructed automaton, a life size mechanical dragon. It was able to differentiate between ponies and monsters, and it was the first guardian of the lower mines.

“At this time, the Elders decided to investigate what happened with our southern friends, the Elders who were but children when the Dark King took over, wanting to see their old friends again, to see the city in all its glory once more. But it was gone, not a trace of it remained, so the doors shut once more.

“Years passed for a second time, the art of artificial intelligence and power cores of magma further refined and perfected, that the Elders looked out again. Both the sun and the moon circled each other in the sky, pink clouds rained down a brown acid, and ponies of snow fought against the wildlife. The world had gone mad, and we closed the doors.

“’Once more,’ the Elders demanded, ‘Once more we will check on the world, and if the madness continues, we never open the doors again.’ So we opened the doors and watched, waiting. Night should have given way to day, but day never came. With a heavy heart, we assigned two of our best mechs to guard the door, as it was sealed shut forever more.

“We thrived in our isolation. We gave up on the outside world, for there was nothing out there for us. A thousand years. We achieved perfection in our alloy, a metal so strong it was like stone against mud. Our combat against the monsters so fierce, we no longer feared for our lives, as they are now a mere nuisance. Our only true enemies now are the diamond dogs, who are responsible for multiple cave-ins over the years…” She trailed off with a faraway look. I glanced to the others, they were intrigued by her story.

She shook her head, “Which brings us to a few weeks ago. Our god, Akthul, the Lord Under the Mountain, a being of molten lava, came to us with a warning. He spoke of a great darkness coming to all the lands, and nothing would be safe, including our home. He advised we seek out the two royal sisters of Equestria, for we would need each other’s aid in the coming days.

“The Elders spoke amongst themselves and came to an agreement, that an ambassador will need to be sent, but not knowing of the dangers outside they would need someone able to fight when the time comes. I was chosen by my grandfather, Kraden, to be the one to venture out on my own. As an elder in training, I know much of the needs of the clan and have been authorized to speak on their behalf, and my combat prowess, while I am not a brawler, is amongst the most deadly and efficient.

“So now I am here before you all, extending the hoof of friendship in the promise of assisting to protect each other’s lands from whatever dangers they may face, and possibly set up a trade route because the food is awesome here.” She ended with a smile and outstretched hoof.

Celestia thought it over for a few more moments before turning to Luna, “What do you think, sister?”

Luna jumped a bit, obviously not expecting to be spoken to for some reason, “Wha-me?” Celestia nodded, “Oh, uh, well, my bat pony guard is turning out to be quite good in combat but aren’t yet as good as your own guard, and we would need proof of her clan’s combat expertise and their works. I’m finding mechanical dragons a bit too much to entertain at the moment as well.”

“So you are saying that she should prove her word?” Celestia filled in, to which Luna nodded. “I was thinking along those same lines. Grand Faina, before we agree to anything, we feel that a demonstration is in order.”

Faina nodded, “Certainly, my current gear and abilities will be able to prove our craftsmanship and I will be able to compare the skills of my clan against your guards after a few rounds of sparring. Unfortunately I cannot prove the mechanical guardians or their prowess, however, my friend Gaige is working on an experimental prototype to act as a personal messenger for me that should be completed within a week. She’s keeping the specifics top secret but I guarantee that it will be the next jump in our technology.”

“I see. It is getting late, so perhaps this is the perfect time then? You would be able to spar against the new lunar guard of bat ponies as well as my solar guard. How does that sound?” Celestia asked as she stood.

“Sounds great! I hope the like surprises too!” Faina said as she stood as well.

“I wanna summon something again!” I said, standing as well.

“Then it’s settled, please follow me to the guard’s practice field.” She opened the door and addressed the guard on the left, “Would you be interested in sparring before the end of your shift? I recall your skills with a polearm are unmatched among the guard.”

The guard grinned, “Of course, your highness.”

“Then please, join us on the way to the fields.” The guard saluted and fell in line next to Rainbow Dash, right behind me.

I turned to ask, “Are you that mare with the scar over her eye?”

The guard chuckled and undid a strap, causing the illusion to break and reveal the grey mare. “Indeed I am.” She said with pride.

“Oh, okay.” I turned back around. I heard the mare scoff at something and Rainbow chuckled as well, though I’m not sure why.

We made our way out of the castle and over to the other side of where the gardens were. There was a large balloon tied down among a few chariots.

“Oh, that reminds us. Twilight, why did you decide to bring a balloon pulled by Rainbow? Would a train not have been faster?” Luna asked.

Twilight chuckled in embarrassment, “Well, I missed what turned out to be the only train running as the other had broken down, and I tied up rainbow while she was sleeping but wound up in Dodge City where we met Faina, then we made our way here.”

“Sounds like quite that journey, and a lucky one at that to find a lost dignitary.” Luna commented, causing Faina to chuckle.

“Oh! Faina, you said you got tired after ten minutes of flight, how did you get this far south so quickly then?” Twilight asked Faina.

“I rode one of the mechs. I think the bearing was a bit off though and I didn’t want to freak out the ponies, so we landed near the city and I sent it back to the mountain.” She said.

“Wow, how fast is it?” Rainbow asked.

“I don’t know, but the ground was a blur of color so I guess pretty fast. I think it only took about five hours to get that far south.” She said.

“So. Awesome!” Rainbow said as she squeezed her face.

We reached a small field with various things set up. There were straw ponies with armor, big targets for a range, more straw ponies, a track to run on, and a sparring ring. The guards at the various stations stopped what they were doing to bow to the princesses.

“Good evening everypony, you may rise. Where is Captain Armor?” She asked.

“I am here, Princess.” Another guard with a larger plumb on his head stepped forward. Twilight smiled and waved at him from behind Celestia, the guard smiled widely and waved as well before returning to attention.

Celestia chuckled, “At ease, Captain. How are the new recruits doing?”

The Captain smiled, “Slower than I would like, but they are mastering things at a steady pace. They won’t make it here for a while though; I got them cleaning the barracks tonight.” He reported.

“I see. Captain, this is Grand Faina, from a clan far to the north. She wishes to demonstrate her capabilities for us.” She said, beckoning Faina to stand next to her.

The Captain looked her over with a keen eye, “I can’t tell much because of the cloak, but you look like a ba-”

I must have blinked, because Faina suddenly had her hoof pressed to his mouth, silencing him. “Thestral.” She said.

He gave her a weird look, “What?”

“I’m a thestral, not a bat pony.” She said as she backed up.

Celestia cleared her throat, “To her clan, referring to them as a bat pony is considered an insult.”

The Captain nodded in understanding, “Oh, I see, forgive me. So, shall we get started?”

Faina nodded and stepped out in front of them, pulling the cloak to one side for us to see what she was hiding. It looked like a bunch of brown straps held together with a series of buckles with more than a few pouches scattered around, and small knives lining one of the straps. Under all that was a shirt that seemed to glow on its own.

She pointed at the shirt, “This is just a light chain shirt, made of our alloy, adamantine. I’ll still feel the blows but the shirt cannot be punctured or damaged by anything less than a weapon of the same material. The leather straps hold all my gear in easy to access pockets, including several poisons and antidotes. I’ve got some throwing daggers, also adamantine, and then my primary weapons are my gauntlets.”

“So you punch things?” Twilight asked.

Faina laughed, “That would be dumb, I tear them to shreds.” Suddenly from each gauntlet a trio of serrated silver blades shot out of the gauntlets and clicked into place, giving her deadly claws. 

“Whoa!” I gasped in amazement. They were shiny!

“These are my babies, modeled after my father’s own bladed gauntlets, but with mechanical retractions, offering the ability to strike the target and sheath themselves as I desire.” She boasted. “Also adamantine.”

The Captain whistled, “Impressive, but a warrior is nothing without skill. Let’s see you attack the dummy over there.” He pointed to one of the straw ponies in armor.

“Well you see, this is where we have a problem.” She said slyly.

“How so?” He asked.

“If I was a warrior you would definitely see me, but I’m not a warrior.” She said.

“Then what are you?” he asked.

“I’m a sneaky-sneak!” She grinned playfully, then crouched low to the ground and vanished before my eyes!

“What the- where did she go?” I asked as I looked around frantically.

“Interesting.” Celestia said. “Watch the target everypony.” 

I looked to the target, but I didn’t see anything. Suddenly there was a screeching clang as the entire side of the dummy was raked along its right side. Unexpectedly I could see Faina following up her attack with her other hoof and stabbing it from underneath with a low uppercut.

She trotted back over to us as the armor fell from its frame, both straw and steel alike ripped apart. “So, what’s next? I’m in the mood to stab something.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment until the Captain spoke up, “That, was really… impressive. How in the hell did you go invisible like that?”

Celestia answered for him, “She didn’t go invisible captain, she used a feint to get us to look where she wasn’t, then hid right before our eyes and snuck around behind us to the target. Was that about right?”

“Spot on actually; only the really experienced fighters can keep up with me, it says a lot about your experience Princess. But yes, my combat is focused around sneaking up behind you and dealing devastating damage. If I can’t do that, then I focus on feinting to create an opening to skewer my opponent. Don’t worry about sparring, there’s a non-lethal mode with my blades so they only hit the armor.” Faina said.

“Well, we don’t have any fighters like that. Is everyone where you come from an evasive fighter?” The Captain asked.

“Yes and no, I’m a bit special in that department, but there are a few similar to my fighting style and a number of warriors. Even a few miners have developed a way to fight with a pickaxe, and it scares even me, they focus on destroying your weapons and armor in like a single blow.”

“Wow. Alright, I’ll take your word for that for now. How about we try ranged? Throw your daggers at the target there, aim for the center.” The Captain ordered.

“Let’s see… this is what, thirty feet?” She asked.

“Around there, we usually train from fifteen to twenty, they have the range marked out-”

“Naw, thirty is fine, pretty much the range I train at. I’m working on sixty feet at the moment, I’m hitting the target but I wouldn’t call it accurate.” She said as she pulled out a few balanced daggers from her belt. She aimed for a moment before throwing three of them one after another, two hit the center but the third was off a hair. “Eh, close enough.”

“Also impressive, taking the range into account I would say you just broke a record.” He said with a nod.

“Yea yea Cap. She’s good at hitting practice targets I’ll give her that, but she’s probably nothing in combat.” The guard mare with the scar said as she pushed past Faina and went to the sparring ring, a polearm at the ready.

“Easy there Velvet, we don’t want to hurt her.” He warned.

“Oh come on Cap,” Faina mocked, “Let the old mare have some fun for once!”

“What did you just call me?!” Velvet asked in rage.

“Oh nothing. Here, let me fix the mode on these babies.” Faina said and started fiddling with her gauntlets. After a moment she tested them, causing them to only spring out about two inches now. “There, now you’ll walk away with non-life-threatening injuries instead of being carried to the morgue.”

“You’re not taking me seriously, that’s a mistake.” She threatened.

“… I invite you to try to take out a frost troll on your own.” Faina said casually.

“Shut up! That’s impossible and you know it!” She retorted.

“Fine then, I’ll prove my skill, and you will have to hear second hoof what happened.” Faina said as she stood at the other side of the ring. “Are you ready?”

“You already told us how your trick works; you won’t catch me off-guard!”

“And I already told you, I’ll show you my skill.” 

Faina threw a dagger at Velvet’s head, but she brought her spear up to block it. The dagger imbedded itself into the metal pole. “Ha! Think you can…” She trailed off, Faina having apparently vanished as she was distracted. She forced herself to calm down and look around carefully, even randomly spinning around hoping to hit Faina, but she remained hidden.

“Where did you go you little brat?!” She was answered with a blow to her rump, Faina punched her in the flank a few more times, causing blood to start flowing from the wound. Blood and something green…

“Gah! You bitch!” Velvet yelled out and went to stab her, but Faina bent in a strange way that didn’t seem natural and flipped over Velvet to her other side and punched her a few more times, the armor proving to stop only her hoof as the blades pierced through it into the flesh beneath, leaving more green stuff behind as she bled into her armor.

“You missed.” Faina goaded, causing Velvet to strike at her again, only this time Faina didn’t bother dodging as the attack went wide. “And I won.”

“What?! Shut up and stand still!” Velvet started swinging a flurry of combos, her rage building as she kept ‘missing.’ Faina sat back and watched as Velvet continued to furiously attack the air in front of her.

“What’s she doing? Faina isn’t even close to where she’s attacking.” I asked.

Celestia shook her head, “I’m sorry, I’m not sure myself. I was able to track Faina’s location but… no, when did she?”

“What’s the matter, sister?” Luna asked.

“Faina mentioned she uses various poisons in combat, could that be what’s happening?” She asked as Faina trotted over, leaving Velvet to her rage.

“I told her, she didn’t take me serious. She was so focused on taking me down and proving to be the stronger mare that I couldn’t help but add a little something.”

“She will be fine though, right?” Celestia asked, Velvet now red in the face as she screamed bloody murder.

“Yep. It’s a favorite mixture of mine, hallucination and a rage poison. They think they are attacking an opponent as the rage poison does what it does, causing them to use up all their energy and working the body until it loses consciousness from pure exhaustion.” She explained. Almost on cue, Velvet fell flat on her face and stopped moving.

“Her wounds aren’t too deep and she will recover in a day or so with the worst hangover imaginable.” She said as a medical team was summoned to take Velvet away.

“While I can’t say I approve of your methods, I am impressed. Though, have you ever fought against a magic user?” he asked.

“Cut off the horn and you win.” Faina said simply. The unicorns around us flinched in phantom pain at the thought.

“Is it that painful?” I asked.

“I’ve been told it’s unimaginable. Even just cracking it can lead to permanent magical disability and a life of immensely painful sensitivity.” He said. “Faina, I would like to see how you do against magical attacks and defenses, so you will be facing off against me. I’ll allow you to use whatever methods you please, but no touching the horn, got it?”

“I got ya, I don’t plan on making enemies.” She said. “So, you first then?”

They walked to their spots on the field, a crowd of guards started to form as they watched the fight, taking bets on who would win, most betting on the captain. “You got this Shining!” Twilight called out over the rabble. I raised an eyebrow, who was Shining?

“Sure, I’ll go first if you insist.” He charged his horn and blasted at Faina. She wasn’t able to dodge away but she shrugged off the blow as she closed in evasively. The Captain was stunned at first, apparently having underestimated her capabilities. He shot off two more bolts, both were evaded as Faina closed in, a blow aimed at the right side of his face. He raised a shield in time for the attack to bounce off the shield to his left.

“What the?!” He asked in confusion.

“It’s called a feint. Nice bubble shield though. How strong is it?” She asked casually.

“I’m one of the best when it comes to defensive magic, I could probably shield all of Canterlot if I wanted.” He said proudly.

“So then you would be unable to attack if the shield took your entire concentration to keep up.” She noted. There was a click from her gauntlets as she released the safety, allowing the blades to extend fully now. “I want to test your shield, so I’ll be going all out. I will stop once it falls or I grow too exhausted to continue. If you out last me, you win. Sound good?”

The guards murmured as more bags of bits were exchanged, “It definitely sounds like a fun challenge, you’re on!” His horn grew brighter as the shield thickened.

“Taking me seriously? Good.” 

Faina didn’t bother with any fancy tricks as she started pounding away at the shield, punching with her left and right, hammering away at the same spot with her claws. There was a sharp ping that rang out as each strike met its mark in rapid succession, almost making it sound musical.

I watched the Captain, his brows began to furrow in concentration. He had even sat down to better focus. The shield flashed as it was struck, but looking carefully it was actually repairing the damage between strikes, and as I watched the blades left slightly larger and larger marks that needed to be repaired.

Faina grunted as she kept up the assault, her breathing getting heavy as she kept pounding away. The Captain looked worse for wear too, he was gritting his teeth and his eyes were closed tight. Almost at the same time they started to yell, furiously putting their all into it, the guards around us cheering them on.

The Captain opened his eyes, now emitting a light on their own as he threw his head back, a feral battle cry escaping him that was matched by Faina as they put everything into a final assault. It was a valiant display, but his horn died out, a moment latter the shield shattered with a final blow as Faina fell forward onto her face.

Both of them lay on the ground, sweating and panting. “Who… Who won?” Faina asked.

“I think… You.” The Captain panted.

“Yay.” She responded tiredly, causing them both to chuckle weakly.

Celestia chuckled as well, “It would appear that a new friendship was just forged.” She walked up to Faina, “Grand Faina, we would greatly appreciate the assistance of the warriors of your clan, we can work out the specifics of everything tomorrow, but for now I think it’s time we all rest for the night and get cleaned up.” 

Faina nodded as she pulled herself to her hooves. “My arms feel like lead.”

“My head is hammering, it’s been years since anyone broke a shield of mine.” The Captain said.

“Is it my turn now?” I asked the departing guards.

“Perhaps another day dear.” Rose said and patted my back. “You need a bit more practice before you can start challenging duals I think.” I grumbled in response but relented.

“However, I would have a word with you, Twilight, in private.” Celestia said sternly.

Twilight wilted before her gaze, but nodded. There was a flash as Twilight and Celestia teleported away. 

Luna took charge at that moment, “Come along, I shall show you to your rooms.”

Faina, Rose, and I followed behind her. She showed Faina a room for herself to sleep in and guided us to our own room. We removed our garments and hung them so they wouldn’t get wrinkled and cuddled up under the covers. With a final kiss goodnight we closed out eyes and whisked away to the realm of sleep.
> Intentions and Misdeeds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Armor watched as the others left, once he was sure it was just him and the guards his horn flared, dispelling the illusion of his fatigue.

“Captain, why did you throw the fight?” One of the guards asked as he approached. 

“What, saying I can’t put on a show for our guests?” Shining asked.

“Just curious is all; we all know you’re much stronger than that.”

“Alright then, I was interested. I wanted to see how far she can push herself once she’s set her mind to something. She’s devious but wants to test her limits. If I was in a foreign land showing off my skill, I wouldn’t want the local guard to mop the floor with me. She’s got heart and skill, there’s room to improve and I can tell that she knows there is. Now, other than winning a few bits for me, was there anything else I can help you with?” He asked with a smug grin.

The guard sighed and tossed him a moderately sized bag of bits, “The new recruits are going to be pissed when they find out.”

“I’m sure once they see the new equipment and the free drinks this weekend they won’t complain too much.” He said.

The other guard chuckled and went about repairing the dummy. Shining noticed something shimmering on the ranged target before remembering that the bat-no, the thestral mare forgot to retrieve her daggers. He pulled them out with his magic and gathered the final one from the polearm.

“Are these truly as strong as she insists?” He muttered, looking them over. They were a comfortable weight, pretty balanced, and he managed to cut himself without realizing it as he saw the drop of blood trailing from his hoof. “Definitely sharp as hell…”

He carried the daggers in his magic along with the polearm down to the armory. The sound of an anvil rang out as the blacksmith worked on forging another weapon. Shining let himself in and set the polearm off to the side for repair as he approached the forge.

“Ye best keep back if ye know what’s good fer ya.” The large dirty minotaur warned as sparks flew from his work.

“Relax Kenneth; I got something you might like to see.” Shining said.

The minotaur roared in rage and threw an iron fire rod at Shining, which bounced harmlessly off his shield. “I TOLD YOU! MY NAME IS FUCKIN’ KEN!”

“But it suits you.” Shining chuckled.

Ken huffed, “Whaddya want? I’m busy.”

Shining walked up and set one of the daggers onto the work table. “Ever see anything like this?”

Ken picked it up and looked it over, tested the balance with a few expert motions, and sliced hit thumb up when he went to test the sharpness. “Th’ craftsm’nship is somethn’ Ah aint seen b’for. Balance is too perfect, blade’s too sharp, this ‘ere is enchanted.”

“I already checked for enchantments, the blade is pure, all natural. According to the owner it took her people about 1500 years of forging to perfect it. I want to test exactly what we’re up against if peace between us turns south. I witnessed her other weapons slice through your armor like it was paper, and one of these was even imbedded into a polearm.”

Ken looked at Shining with a raised eyebrow, “Well le’see whut we got.” Ken took a bit of chalk and marked along the side of the dagger, then gripped the handle and slammed it into an anvil. It imbedded itself with a solid ‘thunk.’ Ken noted the marks on the dagger and whistled.

“Got about tree inches ‘a penetration.” Ken said as he grabbed his large forging hammer. He stepped back and swung hard into the broad side of the dagger. There was a loud crack as chunks of steel and iron went flying in all directions.

Shining lowered his shields once the dust settled, revealing that the anvil was shattered in half, a large chunk on the floor nearby. Imbedded into the far wall though, was the dagger. Shining pulled it out with his magic and handed it to Ken. He looked it over with a keen eye before he shook his head in disbelief, and then held it out for Shining to see.

“Ye best be on yur best behave’yor lad, Don wan’ be picken a fight wit this lot.”

Shining nodded as he examined the dagger, it was still as pristine as it ever was as it glinted dangerously in the light of the forge.





Prince Blueblood was having an awful day. After the fiasco of having to eat alone he learned that a new bat pony and a black bug looking thing were disrespecting the nobility and the princesses by referring to them casually. Unfortunately he was unable to locate his aunt before his meeting with the other house nobles. He was too busy steaming in his seat over the events that the discussions before him went unheard. That is, until, the discussion of the conversation changed to one noble recounting his run in with the filthy bug.

“I say, it was the most hideous and vile monstrosity my eyes were subjected to, and then it had the audacity to fight back instead of lying down to be killed.”

Prince Blueblood’s ears perked up, “Did it look like a black bug?”

The noble looked to the prince with wide eyes, “Yes, yes it did my lord.”

Blueblood stood from his chair, “Then this abomination must be put down. I will see to it that it is done.”

“Sire, there is word that it has quite the formidable guard of its own.” The noble warned.

“Then it will be put down as well.” Blueblood said as he left the meeting room, slamming the door shut behind him. He was quickly approached by his butler.

“Will you be needing anything sire?”

“No, I am to be left alone until further notice.”

“Understood sire.” The butler bowed out of the way ad Blueblood stormed passed.

Blueblood traversed the halls of his mansion, making his way to his private study. He locked the door behind him before moving behind his desk. He swung the massive painting of him and his aunt Celestia outwards on its hidden hinges, revealing a large safe.

He entered his combination and it unlocked with a clang. He pulled it open, revealing it to be thick re-enforced steel. Inside was all manner of currency, from bags of bits, to precious gems, to bars of gold and the odd royal regalia. He ignored all this as he reached far into the back, and with a grunt he pulled a hidden lever.

He backed out, closing and locking the safe and closing the portrait as a set of hidden stairs revealed themselves. The floor behind the desk dropped down in parts, each bit dropping lower than the last until after seven such steps revealed a patch of stone descending into the darkness. He grabbed the candle holder from his desk and lit the four candles as he headed down into the darkness.

He pulled another lever further down, causing the stairs behind him to ascend back into his floor. If anypony were to look inside, it was appear as though nothing were out of the ordinary. Blueblood walked proudly through the darkness; while the tunnel wasn’t too well used he has taken it upon himself to keep out the spiders. He couldn’t trust a maid with such knowledge after all.

After some time the path leveled out as the stone slowly became crystal, the light from his candles reflected and made the crystals glow with an eerie blue light. He maneuvered through the winding natural cave until it opened into a cavern, where a bunch of filthy ponies mingled about. Some sharpened weapons while others drank and gambled. He had reached the headquarters of the thieves’ guild, a bunch of cowardly lowlifes that made up the scum of the city.

“Oi lads, look who decided to join us!” One of the thieves called out, his foul breath assaulting Blueblood across the short distance.

Blueblood held back his retort, “Yes, I need to speak with Clavicus about a certain matter.”

“Oi oi, you know better than to speak the Boss’s name like that Ol’Blue. He’ll string you up and drain yer fluids like he did to Timmy Two Time.” The thief warned. Blueblood paled slightly, having forgotten just what he was dealing with momentarily.

The thief nodded, “Tha’s right, know your place noble. Now, wait ‘ere while I go let him know.”

Blueblood nodded as the thief walked to a cave at the back. He spent the time waiting standing there awkwardly as the others went about their business. He didn’t have to wait long before the other thief returned.

“The Boss will see you, ye best behave or else it’s Timmy Two Time for the likes of ye.” He threatened, and then laughed with the others as Blueblood hurried into the back.

The cave wasn’t too long, ending with a dark red cloth hanging from the top, marking a type of entryway. Blueblood put out the candles and set them off to the side before making sure he was presentable. Once he finished checking everything he moved the curtain off to the side and walked in.

The interior was completely different from the caves outside. The guild had built a large living room, complete with wooden floors, walls ceiling, and fireplace. The furnishings were likely stolen or ordered with stolen bits. Along the walls hung the heads of various ponies, each with a placard for who they were and the reason for their death. Among them were several monsters he had never seen before. He made it about four steps inside before a dagger made of sharpened bone was imbedded into the floor at his hooves, causing him to yelp and jump back.

“What is your business here?” A raspy voice called out. Bluebook looked around but all he saw was the back of a large chair in front of a fireplace.

“I-I have come seeking assistance with a matter.” Blueblood spoke up from where he stood, not daring to move.

“And what makes you think I would be willing to do as you ask?” The voice asked.

Blueblood shivered, his spine tingling as though he were listening to nails on a chalkboard. “Two newcomers have insulted her highness and the nobles; they must be dealt with… I can pay you anything you want.”

“Do you take me for a fool?” The voice asked, but didn’t wait for a reply. “I have no need for your gold or gems. I want something in particular in return for my services.”

“Anything, Lord.” Blueblood said with a bow.

“I know of the ones you speak. One of them is a changeling boldly walking about in the open.” It said.

“Changeling?” Blueblood asked in confusion.

“Yes… This changeling has something that I want. I want you to retrieve it for me once the job is done. If you can’t manage that, well, those two will be the least of your worries.”

Blueblood paled further as his eyes shot to the mounted heads, “But… How will I know what it is?” 

“You will know. Now leave my presence.” It commanded.

Blueblood bowed quickly before scurrying back to the cave, nearly forgetting his candlestick in the process. He hastily made his way past the bandits as they heckled him, back into the cave he came from. With the candles lit he navigated the dark tunnel until he reached the lever and pulled it once again.

The stone before him rumbled as the stairs slid into place. He clambered up and the lever sprang back, causing the stairs to return to floor level. He blew out the candles and used his magic to clean up any dust on his cloths or fur and the floor that had descended into the cave below.

Once everything was presentable he headed back to the castle, the other nobles can do as they please, for he was on a mission, one he could not fail. He walked the paths in darkness, the moon high overhead. He reached the castle as unholy howls filled the air, followed by the screams of the guards as they were torn asunder. Knowing his time was limited, he hurried to the guest rooms to retrieve his master’s payment.
> Crash Course 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I suddenly awoke to the sounds of screams, I quickly patted myself down and felt my throat, but it wasn’t me screaming, it was coming from outside our room along with the sounds of frantic hoof beats. I turned to Rose, only to see she was out of bed already and concentrating, muttering under her breath in front of a candle.

I hopped out of bed and grabbed my book, quickly flipping to the summons page to see both the wendigo and living armor. I stared at the words as their memory went through my mind. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, but Rose said that my desire to protect her made the armor appear yesterday; perhaps I could will it into existence again? 

My thoughts were interrupted as a large ‘fwoosh’ and a rise in both temperature and light forced me to turn and see what was going on. The candle was now gone, instead floated a giant fireball with arms at its side and a tiny head with beady black eyes.

“Whoa…” Was all I could say, it was incredible!

“Efreet answered the call and sent one of his children to assist us. Now, let’s find out what’s attacking us.” Rose said in a serious tone. I nodded and followed after her out into the hall, my book clutched in my magic.

The halls weren’t crowded, most having fled already as a few stragglers ran around the corner, dark howls causing them to run faster. Rose and I followed after the fire elemental as it darted toward the sound, leaving behind a trail of burnt floor.

We rounded the corner and I slipped, falling on my chin as I slid to a stop. A warm wetness now coated my underside and hooves; it had a metallic smell to it. I stood on shaky legs and looked down at myself in the elemental’s light. I felt sick as I identified the thick slimy blood and entrails I was now coated in, as well as much more flooding the hall and painting the walls crimson.

“Well then, I think I’ll just see myself out.” I spun around and bumped into somepony. I blinked to see Faina, fully dressed, staring into the hall as well. “I assure you; I had nothing to do with that.”

“Shush. Something’s coming.” She said. I noticed her ears were swiveling around this way and that. I did the same, but I didn’t hear anything. 

“Are you sure… Where did she go?” I managed to lose track of her and Faina was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

“She’s right, something’s wrong. Let’s fall back to a clear hall for better footing. Keep an eye out.” I nodded as we made our way back slowly, but something was still off.

I kept looking around the floor and the walls when I noticed something strange. The blood on the walls was blotched, spaced out into a pattern. The blood patches grew thinner; looking like something with bloody paws had climbed the walls until the blood faded completely. Something dripped onto my head, and then I heard it: a low growl amid heavy breathing.

I froze stiff, daring not to move as I slowly rolled my eyes back to see above me, but it was all shrouded in darkness. All but the six pairs of red eyes glaring at me.

“R…Rose…” I whispered, “I think I found them…”

Rose saw where I was looking and seemed to pale even more, “Alright… Keep moving back, slowly…”

My legs started moving again as we backed out slowly, making a point not to look up. After about ten steps I heard a soft shuffling as the things above kept up with us.

“Rose…?” I whispered as I thought to myself. They were above us, following us from a distance we could easily be caught, but holding back. Why? What were they waiting for?

“Just keep going, don’t run.” She whispered as we backed away further. It clicked in my mind, they were predators, and they wanted to hunt us, chase us around before eating us.

Unfortunately one of the monsters grew impatient and landed in front of us nimbly. It looked like a weird dog, but its legs were too long and ended in claws, and its main body was too small while the head was huge. Then, to my horror, the entire head split down the middle and opened into a massive tooth-filled vertical mouth as it roared at us.

“Okay, running now!” Rose yelled. We turned to run as more landed behind us, but our way was blocked by two more landing in front of us.

I looked around us as the sixth one yelped from its place on the ceiling. It fell to the floor with a pool of blood under it as its leg landed next to it. I looked up to see Faina up on the rafters as well.

“Alright Sigma, crash course in summoning,” Rose said as the fire elemental moved to hold off the majority of the monsters. “Step one: concentrate. Visualize everything about the summoned monster from what it looks like to how you felt when you started controlling it. Then, designate a job such as offensive or defensive. I would go defensive as these guys look like pack hunters. Then the spell should complete. Now hurry!”

We dodged to the side as they leapt forward brandishing tooth and claw, only to see we were still surrounded. I focused on the living armor, doing my best to avoid attacks and remember what I needed to. The fire Elemental blew a cone of fire at the beasts, causing them to howl in pain at first but the howls were replaced by their taunting barks. Their bodies were still on fire but it no longer appeared to be damaging them.

I suddenly had an idea, if they were fire now, then ice would counter it! I switched my thoughts to that of the wendigo, and I wanted it to be on the attack. Faina jumped from above and took advantage of the one’s focusing on the fire elemental, starting with the one missing a leg already. She landed on top of it and stabbed her blades deep into its sides and back. The monster let out a shrill shriek as it died, prompting the two nearby to spin around and slash at her.

Faina yelped as they landed, the blows tossing her off to the side. She rolled and got back to her hooves, a little frazzled but not out of the game yet as her armor took the blow. She widened her stance as one turned to target her. At this point I felt a surge of power going through my horn as a deathly cold aura suddenly appeared, the Wendigo howled as frost and ice started appearing on the rapidly cooling windows and floors.

The wendigo turned to the two in front of Rose and I and let loose a howling blast, freezing their legs to the floor. They were stuck fast to the floor but their bodies became encased in frost. I took this moment to start summoning the living armor.

“Good job, looks like you got the basics.” Rose complimented. “O lumen cordium tenebras fugat, suscipe deprecationem nostram quotidianum da nobis contra vim hostium!” She commanded. Suddenly a feeling of lightness and power flowed through me. I found it easier to concentrate and everything around me seemed to slow a bit, almost like I’m seeing everything a bit faster.

“Whoa, what was that?” I asked as my horn glowed brighter.

“Just a divine blessing~” Rose responded.

Behind us the fire elemental blasted its two remaining foes with another gout of flame, unfortunately the fire did minimal damage to them. Instead it swung out with a burning hand, which was avoided. The monsters retaliated with attacks of their own, their claws swiping through the flames but the elemental grunted as though it were damaged.

Faina dodged around the monster that targeted her, and instead delivered a devastating blow to the left monster that was targeting the fire elemental. It yipped in pain as the wounds in its side blead black blood heavily. Unfortunately the monster she ran around came up behind her and swiped at her flank. She cried out as her less armored rear was clawed open, her blood soaking through the tail end of her cloak.

“Damn it all!” She cursed through grit teeth as she found her position compromised.

My horn flared, bringing with it the heavy clang of armor. “That one, the one on the right!” I said, pointing towards our two foes.

“HHHMMMM!!!!!” It grunted, slamming the axe into the immobile monster, cleaving it in two with a critical blow.

“WOO!” I cheered, and then directed the wendigo, “Go freeze those three!” The wendigo howled and flew around the fire elemental and then blasted the remaining monsters with its ice breath. Faina managed to escape the cone of cold with the help of her wings as the other monsters froze to the ground as well. There was another death howl as the critically wounded one was finished off with the freezing breath, its brothers attempted to lash out but were still frozen.

“Alright, my turn!” Rose said as she directed the fire elemental to attack the remaining monster in front of us. It turned around and blasted several fireballs into the monster. It caught fire as the ice melted. It ran away while on fire, making it down the hall before it succumbed to the flames.

We turned towards the remaining two and Faina finished off the further one while the armor and wendigo took out the last one.

Faina walked up to us with a slight limp, “That was a pretty neat trick you guys, do you think that’s the last of them?”

“I think so.” Rose said. She turned to the elemental, “Thank you for your help.” She said and bowed. The elemental saluted and disappeared in a surge of flames.

“I think I’ll keep these guys active for a bit, just in case.” I said, motioning to my summons. “This is pretty cool to just call them to my side like that.”

We started hearing hoof steps as a battalion of guards ran up to us, led by none other than the captain. He slowed to a halt when he reached us and ordered the other guards to investigate the area. Several gasped and backpedaled when they saw the blood everywhere.

“Hi!” I said cheerfully.

He nodded at us as he looked at my summons suspiciously. “I would like you to tell me everything that happened, including these things.”

Rose came forth and explained things from our side, from waking up to the noise and summoning the fire elemental up to us finding the scene of the battle.

Faina came up next to us to tell her side as well, “Like them I woke up to the noise of ponies in panic. I got dressed as quickly as I could and headed out to scout the area. I caught up to these two as they found the scene when I heard something closing in from above. I snuck away and climbed up to the ceiling to see what was causing all the trouble. I found these things huddled together staring down at Sigma and Rose, but it would have been too risky to act on my own so I waited for an opening.”

“And that’s when they jumped down on us as we tried to get away. We won though.” I said.

The Captain nodded, “Alright, I’d like you two to go back to your room and Faina you go with them. Also you left these on the field.” He pulled out four shiny daggers and passed them to Faina.

“Oh, thanks! Sorry, I’m always forgetting them.” She said as she fit them back into her belt.

“No problem. Now, please make yourselves comfortable in the guest room, we’ll have a few guards watching over you as well. It’s bad enough to come under attack but if any of you get injured Celestia would have my head.” He said as he led us to our room.

“Bit late for that Cap, I took a claw to the ass. I’ll be fine though, I’ve had worse.” She said.

“I’ll send a doctor up to take a look at you anyway. Now sit tight while we secure the area and start investigating the scene.” I nodded as one of the guards opened the door to our room, only to stop in his tracks.

“Just what the hell is going on in here!?” He yelled in astonishment.

We piled inside to see what was going on. Everything in the room was a mess, the bed was stripped bare and holes were cut into the mattresses, foam and feathers carpeted the floor as every dresser drawer was strewn about and the dressers themselves were moved from the wall. The portraits were removed from the wall and vandalized as well, it looked like a monster had broken in and gone wild.

There was a noise in the bathroom. Without a second thought I sent the wendigo in to freeze whatever it was in place. A moment later a very high pitched scream pierced the air as a white unicorn with a blond mane and tail ran out in front of us. He made it about half way before stopping when he saw us, allowing the wendigo to encase him in ice up to his chin.

I glared as I looked him over, he was a mess and covered in feathers, he even had a knife with threads stuck to it. “So, you did this.” I said to him.

“You… how are you alive?!” He half yelled.

I turned to the guards, “Go fetch that captain for me please, and hurry up.” I turned back to the intruder, “So, mind telling us why you decided to destroy this room? And why our being alive would be a concern to you.”

He spit in my face, “I’m not telling you scum anything!”

As I wiped my face I saw Rose holding up her once beautiful dress, it as well as mine were not spared in the intrusion. “Interesting that I’m considered scum, yet here you are destroying what few possessions we have…” Heat started to rise in my cheeks and eyes, my breathing quickened and my heart rate shot up. “I think I’m actually angry… I don’t know if I’ve ever been angry before, so I’m not sure what happens next…”

My armor began to walk forward with heavy steps, axe at the ready. The unicorn lit his horn but a sharp dagger suddenly pressed against it. 

“Ah-ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Faina said into his ear, “Light it up again and you lose it, but please, don’t let that stop you. I want to see just how painful it is for unicorns, just how sensitive…” She scraped the sharp edge of the blade against the horn. The reaction was immediate, he yelped and tried pulling away, but was still frozen in place. Faina chuckled as she watched him squirm.

“Huh, that is pretty sensitive.” I remarked before addressing the armor, “Just stand over there for now.” It grunted and did as I commanded. “So, what should we do with him?”

“I would say to make sure he doesn’t accidentally lose his horn before the captain arrives.” She said, causing the stallion to gulp and start to sweat, quite the feat to pull off when incased in ice.

The guards at the door moved aside as the captain ran in, “What in the name of Celestia is going on here? Blueblood? What are you doing here? Faina, what are you doing!?” He rattled off.

I took a breath and began explaining with the help of the guards that arrived with us, “We came back and the room was like this and this stallion was in the bathroom. I captured him in ice and as you can see he is covered in the evidence. He tried to escape through magic but Faina put a stop to that.”

“I’d say we should just chop off the damn thing.” Rose spoke up; she was making sure she had all the pieces of our dress and suit. “We did that all the time back then.”

“You wouldn’t da-AAAAGGG!!!!” He started but Faina scrapped her blade along a ridge, he had tears rolling out of his eyes. “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!”

“Nope and I don’t care, now stop moving so much.” Faina said casually. The fact that it was impossible for the stallion to move was not lost on us.

“You shouldn’t have been in here at all.” I added. “Not to mention your surprise that we were ‘still alive.’ Makes it sound like you knew about the attack and used it to try and get something…” I trailed off in thought, what could he have been after that might have been in our room?

“Blueblood,” The captain said firmly, “what were you doing in here when the castle was being evacuated as monsters killed my guards?”

“That’s ‘Prince’ to you, and I’ll only speak to my lawyer about this!” He said.

“Wait a minute…” I think I understand now! “I’m pretty sure he was after this.” I held up my book for everypony to see. Their reactions ranged from curiosity to repulsion at the fleshy tome, but Blueblood simply gasped and started to struggle and growl.

“Called it.” I said as I grinned triumphantly.

“I said to stop moving!” Faina yelled as she scraped the horn a bit harder, causing him to scream as tears flowed down his face as he broke down in sobs.

“Stop! Stop please! I’ll tell you! We wanted you dead so I made a deal with Clavicus who sent them to kill you in return for that book! That’s all I swear!” He yelled out.

I whispered to Rose, “That was easy.” She nodded in response.

Faina flashed her blade, “And where can we find him?”

He whimpered, “There’s a tunnel in my study! It leads to the crystal caves in the mountain and that’s where he is! Just please let me go!”

The captain blasted Blueblood in the face with enough power to shatter the ice and throw him into the wall, where he lay limply on the floor. “I want a detachment of guards ready to deploy immediately and alert the princesses. You two, take Blueblood into custody and lock him up and don’t let him out until I say.” The guards saluted and split up to carry out the orders.

“Captain, mind if I join you?” Faina asked, “Caves and mines are kind of my thing.”

“Normally I would be against it, but we could use the help to navigate and fight in the close quarters. Just be sure to follow my orders.” He said.

“Alrighty!” She smiled.

I went to Rose while they were discussing things, “You alright?”

“No, I’m furious. I want answers and I want my pretty dress fixed, but I also know I’m going to have to wait for all that.” She sighed, “But it really goes to show that being different is severely looked down upon in high society.”

“I wouldn’t know, most ponies all look the same to me.” I said, causing her to chuckle dryly. 

“What do you want to do then, are you alright?” Rose asked me.

I was confused for a moment, what was it that I wanted? After Faina did the thing with the knife I didn’t feel as angry anymore, and I wasn’t in the mood to hunt whatever was after me… “I think we should stay with the Princesses. Whatever sent those things was after us, and being alone or going with the captain would put us in greater danger. I don’t think I’m ready for a powerful battle yet and I don’t want the book to fall into the wrong hooves.”

Rose chuckled and smiled, “Then you are wiser than you let on. They may have a restoration spell for our cloths as well.”

I nodded and approached the captain, “Captain, Rose and I would like to be with the Princesses during this event so they don’t get ahold of my book.”

“I assume it’s an artifact of some kind then?” He asked. I nodded in response, “Alright, I’ll send you to Princess Celestia.” His horn glowed brightly as Rose stood next to me, the scraps of our clothing across her back. With a flash we found ourselves suddenly clean, not a drop of blood on us. There was another flash and we were in a familiar room.

“Ah, Rose and Sigma, I’m glad you decided to join me.” Celestia said from her spot by the fire. Next to her was Twilight, she must have been crying recently because the fur under her eyes was damp.

“I figured it would be safer here.” I said as we lay down on some cushions as well.

“Yes, I received word that monsters had attacked the castle. I’m glad you’re both alright, but what of Faina?” She asked.

Rose and I briefly explained what happened, from waking up to being teleported here. Twilight looked on in horror while Celestia’s face remained unchanged.

“I see.” She said once we were finished, “It would appear that the nobles have finally stepped way out of line, they will get what’s coming to them. As for my nephew, I will not defend him in his actions. He will be tried as well for his crimes of conspiracy, not to mention there’s an ambassador involved as well. If this is handled improperly it would sour any relationships we could have established with her people.”

“Faina is going to assist them in the mines from my understanding, but I was also wondering if you had a spell to restore our outfits?” Rose asked as she lay out the shredded cloth.

Celestia looked them over for a moment before shaking her head, “I’m sorry, they are too far gone. If I restore it there will be holes and loose threads that will fall apart anyway.”

Rose looked downtrodden so I wrapped a hoof around her, “Oh, I see. Thank you though.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Celestia nudge Twilight with a wing. She started a bit before collecting herself, “Rose, Sigma, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what I said yesterday and the day before. I let my emotions cloud my judgement, and I said some horrible things. Princess Celestia explained everything to me, and I see that I was wrong about you both. I’m sorry I thought Sigma was just controlling you Rose, and I’m sorry I was so harsh to you Sigma. Can you forgive me for what I’ve done?” She finished, fresh tears in her eyes as she finished.

I looked to Rose for a moment before we nodded in agreement, “That’s all I wanted, and I told you so.” I chuckled, “So yea, you are forgiven. Also I would like an explanation why ponies in general are so rude all the time.”

Rose turned to me, “I think you just perceive it as rude, I’ll help you out with that.”

“Oh.”

Screams suddenly erupted in the hall as everything started to shake and rattle. Both Celestia and Twilight stood and lit their horns, ready for whatever was coming. Suddenly a wendigo phased through the door, followed quickly by the living armor, smashing the door into an explosion of splinters with a mighty roar.

We stood there staring at them in stunned silence for a full minute before Rose turned to me, “In the future, please dismiss your summoned creatures so they don’t wind up chasing after you through the halls.”

“Ah… My bad.”
> Pursuit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Faina and the Captain as well as the other guards flinched back as the two monsters that Sigma had with him belted out a warcry and took off at high speed through the halls of the castle.

“Well, that was strange.” She said.

“I’ll be hearing about that in a few hours. In any case, I’ll take you to the field medic to patch you up before we go. Will you be needing anything?” He asked her.

“Naw I’ve got all I’ll need. Let’s hurry this up a bit though, I want to explore around a bit!” She grinned.

“Alright then, follow me.” The Captain said, shaking his head as he started leading her through the troops setting up ‘investigation’ and ‘keep out’ banners around the area.

“Hey Cap, you got a name?” She asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?” He replied.

“Because calling you Cap is getting old.” She said.

“Well I am Captain Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard.” He said proudly.

“Nice to meet you in a moderately official capacity then, Captain Armor. I am Grand Faina Night-Steel of clan Fang, Grand Elder in training, currently the acting ambassador between my clan and Equestria, and I’m also the head of security back home, a ‘Captain of the Guard’ so to speak.” She proudly proclaimed.

“Wow, that’s quite a lot of responsibility. How old are you?” He asked.

“I’m twenty-two.” She said. “Why do you ask?”

“Just that you’ve accomplished a lot and your life is just starting.” He observed.

“Let’s just say I had a head start and a lot of motivation.” She said evasively. 

“Alright fine, don’t tell me.” He said as they approached a mare with a red cross on her uniform.

“Who’s this? She’s not a guard. I don’t work on civilians, go find a real doctor.” She grunted when she was them.

“Relax, she’s an ambassador who was wounded in the attack. Please just look at her?” He asked.

“What do I care about some snotty bureaucrat that chipped a hoof. Screw it, fine. Let me see the boo-boo so I can kiss it.”

“While I appreciate the offer to kiss it I think I would rather just have it wrapped.” Faina said with a coy smile. She turned around and moved her cloak aside, showing her rump to the mare.

The medic whistled at the sight of the wound, “This looks worse than it is.” She said and got to work cleaning it. Faina winced a bit at the disinfectant but the medic was able to apply a bandage to the area. “It’s not too deep so it should heal up just fine. Now go away I’m busy.”

Faina reset her cloak to cover her rear again, “Thanks.” She said.

Shining nodded and started to lead her outside the castle. “Now that that’s taken care of, we can get this operation underway. Blueblood owns a mansion just to the east of the castle. In all likelihood the staff and servants will try to prevent our entry without proper authority.”

“So you want me to ‘mysteriously’ find my way inside?” She asked.

“No, I’m saying it could take some time for the guard to get in and our searching may be impeded.” He said.

“Oh, well hurry up, I’m not waiting all night.” She said and walked off. Shining chuckled as he gathered the troops into formation.

Faina casually cantered around the castle to where the mansion in question was. She found it fairly quickly as it was enormous and had his cutie-mark all over it, as well as a large ‘Blueblood Manor’ gate. She easily flew over the tall fence and made her way around to the side of the building. 

She peeked into one of the windows to see that much of the entryway took up the ground floor, with lots of posh decor and a number of maids doing busywork under the watchful eye of a butler in a fancy suit. 

She moved away from the window and pressed her forehooves against the brick wall, then using her wings she was able to lightly pin herself to the wall, allowing her to slowly ‘walk’ up the wall silently. She made it up to the second floor window and peeked inside, the coast was clear.

She pressed a hoof against the window and it opened easily, swinging inward. She hoisted herself over the edge and hopped into the room. She closed the window behind her and snooped around the room.

“Let’s see… If I was a tunnel I would be on the ground floor. Time to explore~!” She giggled quietly to herself. She pressed her ear up to the door and listened, there was one set of hoof steps walking away from her position. She slowly opened the door and peered out, there was a maid halfway down the fall, humming to herself as she dusted the various figurines on a table.

Faina snuck out into the hall and softly closed the door behind her. She moved swiftly and silently up behind the mare, keeping low and to the shadows. Once she was in position crouched under another table with a large plant on it she cast her gaze about searching for a way down.

The maid in front of her turned around and started fiddling with the plant, not noticing that Faina was there hiding. She hummed away as she gave it some water and spruced up its leaves. Faina waited patiently for her to finish what she was doing. 

After several more minutes the maid sighed and walked further down the hall and entered a room near the end of the hall, past a grand staircase. Faina waited a moment longer before going to look over the staircase balcony. It led back to the main entrance where most of the maids were rushing about, but what caught her eye was an open door to the right of the staircase. It was decorated in gold details of swirls and shapes.

Thinking it might lead someplace she waited until they weren't looking towards the door, and then swooped down through the opening to land on all fours. She was about to congratulate herself on her stealth abilities when a number of voices shouted out.

“Who the devil are you?”

“What are you doing in here?”

“Who let this filth wander in from the street?”

“Guards!”

Faina looked up to see a large table with a number of nobles seated around it glaring at her as they shouted in anger. The door behind her burst open as the private security rushed inside. Faina cursed herself as she was quickly surrounded. She looked around frantically but there wasn’t an opening.

They shouted at her to do something, she wasn’t familiar with the word, but she might be able to catch them off guard. She lashed out, the claws of her gauntlets springing out and slicing off the tips of their spears as she twisted around. While they were stunned she flew over their heads back out the door where she quickly dove into the nearest room. Once out of sight she flew up to the dark corner in the ceiling of the room and wedged herself there, waiting.

Thunderous hoofsteps rang out as the guards frantically searched the area, four of them throwing open the room she was hiding in. She held her breath and watched, daring to not make any sound as they searched under the tables and in the closets, but not finding a trace. None thought to think to simply look up as they quickly departed to search elsewhere.

Once the door closed she let out a breath and flew down to the floor. No longer under the threat of discovery she looked around the room. There was a fine number of decorations including an over-sized painting of the Princess and Blueblood behind a very large and ornate desk.

“Looks like I found it.” She said to herself. She went up to the painting and pulled the bottom right corner. It swung outwardly easily, revealing a large safe with a combination lock. 

“... I can’t pick this… How does this work anyway?” She muttered as she examined the dial. She twisted it around a bit experimentally until it landed on two, followed by a very small ‘click’ her sensitive ears were able to barely perceive. 

“... Or maybe I can!” She pressed her ear up to the safe and kept spinning to the left, but there were no other clicks. She stuck out her tongue and repeated the first step, spinning a lot until landing on two, then spun the other way. She stopped when she heard it click again and looked at the number it pointed at. “...Two again?”

She spun it to the left again, this time a loud series of clicks and clunks rang out as the dial locked in place, again on two. “Seriously? The code is two two two?” She asked out loud at the ludicrous combination as she pulled the safe handle. It opened smoothly but heavily as it revealed its treasures stored inside.

Faina looked over the pile of gold and gems with a bored expression, “Is this stuff really worth a lot?” She asked as she appraised the gems and gold bars.

“Quite a lot actually.” A voice spoke from behind her. Faina jumped a bit and spun around, ready to fight, but relaxed when she saw who it was.

“About time you made it here Shining.” She said as she tossed a priceless gem back into the safe, breaking it into pieces. 

“We we’re held up as expected but when you caused a scene we offered to ‘help’ capture you and they let us in. Also you broke a gem worth about 300,000 bits, they are not going to be happy.” He noted as he looked inside. “Wow, I knew he was loaded but still, to see it all like this.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“... Really?”

“Uh, yea? Is gold not a valuable for your clan?”

“No, it’s worthless. Yea it’s shiny and malleable, we use it a bit in decoration but we have an entire vault dug out that we just dump it all. What’s really valuable is the gems, we can use them in runic magic and store a load of power for the mechs as well as used in rituals to speak with our god and give him offerings of only the finest gems. We have other uses as well but  we can’t give that out.” Faina explained as she began shoving things around as she peered inside.

“That’s… I guess now that I think about it that’s kind of expected. Fifteen hundred years of mining would probably grant a load of gold.” He remarked.

“Exactly. Ah, here we go.” She said as she found the hidden lever and gave it a pull.

Shining jumped aside as the floor under his hooves suddenly dropped out and formed a hidden staircase. “That’s something. Wait here, I’ll gather my guards.” Faina nodded as he went up to the door and stuck his head out and whistled. The royal guards under his command dropped what they were doing and formed up in front of the door.

“We found what we we’re looking for. Amethyst, Garnet, you two make sure nopony enters. The rest of you get ready, Faina and I will lead the way.” A chorus of ‘Yes Sir!’ rang out as they saluted and filed into a line in the room as two others stood guard outside. He joined Faina at the top of the steps, “Ready?”

“Yep.” She said with a nod. “Also sound travels far in a cave so try not to be so loud, it’ll interfere with my tracking and would alert the enemy of our approach.”

Shining armor cast a spell that enveloped the other guards in a pink aura before fading a moment later, “There, a silencing spell.” He said with a nod. “Let’s get going, there’s no telling what we’ll find so be ready.”

Faina nodded and descended into the darkness first, followed by Shining and the other guards. They made it about twenty feet before Shining voiced a concern, “I figured you would have dark vision like the night guard trainees, but is it alright if I light up a torch?”

“Yea it should be alright, keep it behind me though. When we get close you’ll have to put it out, this cave goes on for…” Faina clopped her hoof down hard and listened to the echo, “For about a mile, maybe more, so some light wont hurt.”

Shining nodded and lit his horn, casting a dim glow around the cave. Faina had moved farther ahead and was just on the edge of the light. “Ready?” She asked.

“Good to go.” Shining replied. She nodded and set off at a brisk trot, her hooves clopping softly on the stone floor as her ears traced the music of the cave. Unknown to many who’ve never lived in a cave or a mine system, the earth and the mountains themselves speak in many ways. From the flow of underground water to the deep bass of the mountain itself to the skitter of other small creatures, listening to the sounds merge together in a form of harmony assists those navigating through unknown areas. Here, a path that leads to water. There, an old cave long collapsed. Ahead, a very large cavern.

Faina slowed to a halt as the cave turned from stone to crystal, “Put out the light, we’re getting close.” Shining cut his magic, shrouding them in darkness. But in the darkness the crystals of the cave they were entering seemed to softly glow on their own. They offered just enough light to navigate further ahead.

Faina and Shining crouched low, followed by the other guards as the cave opened into a large cavern. All around were various furnishings from sofas and chairs to combat dummies to sparring arenas and equipment, but there wasn’t a trace of anypony.

“Looks like they received word of our arrival somehow. Everypony fan out and search the area. Faina, are you able to tell anything where they might have gone?” Shining ordered, the guards began to search around in pairs as they searched the caves for any trace of whomever lived here.

Faina took a moment to observe the cavern and listened, “There are multiple exits and I think they lead to the surface, but there is one that sounds different. That one.” She said, pointing to a tunnel that was well decorated.

“Alright, come with me we’ll check that one out for anything.” Faina nodded as they made their way to the smaller cave. It was rather short, ending in a beaded doorway. They moved them aside and entered what appeared to be a lavish living room. All around the walls were the heads of various ponies with a plaque reading their name and what they did to deserve such a fate.

Faina and Shining looked a bit sick as they searched around, slowly making their way to the large fireplace that lit the room. On the floor in front of it was a single sheet of paper.

“Hey, what’s this?” Faina asked as she approached it.

“It could be a note from whoever sent the attack, what’s it say?” Shining asked as he went through a closet.

“Let me check.” Faina grabbed the note and lifted it up, but instead of words there was just a strange symbol, a symbol that started to glow.

The cavern’s silence was broken by screams of unimaginable pain as Faina flailed wildly on the ground, the symbol fading from the paper as Shining rushed to her aid and called out for the medic.

> Slumber Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia repaired her door and calmed the guards as I dismissed my summoned creatures. I turned to Twilight, “So she told you my name then?”

“Yes, and at first I was angry that you didn’t tell me but after the way I had been acting, I can see why you didn’t want to tell me.” She said despondently.

“Well to be fair I was a bit distracted myself, and we were in a rush.”

“Yea, I heard you, and I still can’t believe you did it in my bathroom!” She accused.

“It just sort of happened, sorry.” I defended.

“I instigated it on the train.” Rose added.

“Oh yea, then the gardens was me.”

“Oh my Celestia, ew. Just ew ewewew!” Twilight said covering her eyes and her cheeks burning red in embarrassment.

“Come now, Twilight, it’s a completely natural part of being in love.” Celestia said as she re-joined us. “I would expect you to be about the same when you find somepony special.”

“Can we please not talk about… THAT stuff?” Twilight begged, embarrassment flowing from her.

Celestia and Rose shared a chuckle as I sat there confused. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

“It’s just a mare thing.” Rose said. “Anyway Twilight, so you haven’t found a special somepony, that’s just fine. Take it slow and find someone you know will be a good partner.”

“You and Sigma didn’t take it slow.” She jabbed.

“I can tell his loyalty quite easily, as he emanates it proudly, as well as his defensiveness of me. While I may be able to do more in a confrontation than him it’s still very sweet and heartwarming.” Rose said and turned to me, “How about you?”

I pondered for a moment before answering, “Because it feels right, it feels good to belong by your side, and I don’t want to lose that good feeling, because then it gets complicated, like I’ve lost it once before but I don’t remember when or how, just that it’s bad.”

Rose nodded, “And then Celestia even had her eyes on a colt or two growing up.”

It was Celestia’s turn to  grow red in the cheeks, “It was just a silly crush.” She tried to defend.

“Was it? Tell me how, ‘Oh Rose, I just wish he would take me away by the hoof and marry me by the pond and we would have lots of children and live happily ever after!’ How was that just a silly crush?” Rose teased, changing her voice to sound like a filly in love. Twilight went from open-mouthed gaping to rolling on the floor laughing.

Celestia looked between incredibly angry and embarrassed at the same time before hiding her face in her hooves, “Oh I dearly hope my sister didn’t hear that…”

“Too late for that, dear sister!” Luna said as she stepped out of the shadows with a wide grin, this shan't be the last you hear of this!” She joined Twilight in Laughter.

“Much like your infatuation with the guard commander at the time?” Rose piped up, “You would follow him around all day trying to impress him with your imitations of a guard, it was so cute!”

It was now Luna’s time to grow embarrassed as Twilight cooed at the thought of a tiny Luna trying to be a guard. “Yes yes, we all were children once.” She coughed, “Perhaps we should explain why we’re here before any more troublesome stories are revealed.”

“Whatever you say, Woona, go ahead and change the subject.” Rose said with a chuckle.

Luna cleared her throat at the new bout of laughter, “Yes, well, Captain Armor teleported Grand Faina into the medical bay of the castle. He informed us of finding the caverns just as Blueblood had described, but they were deserted. It is likely that whoever is in charge has way of keeping tabs on the guard and possibly more. As for what happened to Grand Faina, she became victim to a very heinous magic. We believe it to have been a Symbol of Pain.”

Celestia and Rose suddenly went very serious and the room took on a cool chill. Twilight seemed to notice as well, “Princess? What’s a Symbol of Pain?”

Celestia answered, “It is a dark spell, enchanting a symbol to inflict large amounts of pain on any that read it. The symbol can be anything from a letter to a sigil to a random scribble, but it takes time to set up and was generally only used by powerful spell casters due to the difficulty of maintaining the spell, as the spell would fade over time. The effects only last about an hour and don’t do permanent harm so she will be fine, but it sends a clear warning. This entity is indeed very powerful and is willing to go out of its way to cause harm.”

“But you can stop it, right?” Twilight asked.

Luna shook her head, “It has likely fled and doesn’t wish to be discovered. In order to find it both my sister and I would need to track it down, and it would likely have devastating traps and false leads to keep us at bay.”

Celestia nodded, “For the moment all we can do is investigate further into the lair beneath the city and see if there are any clues, but I fear there will be no leads. In the meantime all we can do is up the security patrols, and having a lunar guard will be a great benefit to the protection of the citizens.”

“I heard that before at the training grounds, what is the lunar guard?” Twilight asked.

Luna stepped forward, “The lunar guard was my idea, Celestia has her guards in gold armor to act as stalwart watchers and defenders, but I will have my guard consisting of the bat ponies from Hollow Shades. With their darker colors and unique abilities they will serve well as bastions of the night!” She declared proudly.

“Plus they all admire her to no end.” Celestia said.

“But Tia!” Luna whined, “You have admirers too!”

“I don’t turn them into guards.”

“But they want to protect me!”

“Ahem.” Rose cleared her throat loudly, “Need I treat you like little fillies again?”

The princesses looked to each other, memories from forever ago surfacing of their spankings when they acted out of line. They shook their heads, “No ma’am…”

“Good.” There was a knock at the door, “Who is it?” Rose asked.

“Oh! Uh, Princess Celestia sent for some fish to be sent to her room?” The voice on the other side informed.

“Wasn’t that like hours ago?” I asked.

Princess Celestia  opened the door with her magic, “Thank you, I am sure she will appreciate it. However, could you deliver this to Grand Faina in the hospital wing?”

The mare bowed, “Of course your majesty, have a good night.”

“And you are well.” Celestia replied. She closed the door, “It takes some time for the chefs to prepare meals not commonly accounted for, I am sure this was the fastest they could catch a fresh fish or bargain for one this late in the evening.”

“Oh.” I replied. “So what happens now?”

“You are all welcome to stay in my room tonight, being that your rooms are being investigated for intruders or hidden assassins. But tomorrow I was thinking you should all return to Ponyville, Faina included.” Celestia said.

“I’m fine with that, but why Faina as well?” I asked.

“It is her mission to learn as much as she can about us, and I can think of none better than Twilight and her friends. Plus I am sure she will be interested to meet all the citizens from both Ponyville and Old Canterlot.” Celestia said.

“So this is like a slumber party?!” Twilight asked with far too much excitement.

Celestia smiled, “Yes, I suppose so.”

“Yay! My second slumber party! But I didn’t bring my copy of ‘Slumber 101: All You Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask!’”

“I am sure we can find something to do for fun.” Rose said as she started gathering up a bunch of pillows.

“Where did you find all these pillows?” I asked as she unloaded a heaping pile on us all.

“The closet, of course.” Rose replied.

“Sister, thou have a numerous amount of pillows.” Luna commented.

“Some of these are really old too.” Twilight added.

Celestia sighed, “I have a habit of collecting them, I try to switch them around every month or so but it appears I have more than I thought.”

“How did these all fit in a closet?” Twilight asked in bewilderment as Rose kept tossing more and more pillows out of the closet, the bedroom now neck deep in pillows.

“It’s bigger on the inside of course.” Celestia remarked. “A bit of magic saves millions in renovations for more space.”

“You must teach us this spell, our chambers are rather… foal-sized.” Luna said.

“Is it not the eldest that gets the larger bedroom?” Celestia grinned.

Luna growled playfully, “You always got the larger things! A larger bedroom, the larger chair, the larger cakes, and the larger flanks!” She gleefully jabbed.

Celestia gasped in mock horror before lighting her horn and thrusting forty-seven pillows at Luna. She retaliated with a barrage of her own, one hitting Twilight, so she threw pillows at both of them.

“PILLOW FIGHT!” Rose yelled out as she tossed a flurry of pillows at everypony.

I did my best to dodge out of the way but I still took a few to the face. I managed to work my way up to Rose by crawling under the massive amount of pillows. “Rose?! What’s going on?!” I asked in confusion.

“It’s a game dear, you throw the pillows at the others until you win!” She explained as she beat the projectiles out of the air with a pillow of her own.

“Really?” She nodded. “Alright then.” I began using my own magic to throw the pillows, mainly at Celestia because she was a bigger target. However the return volley was somewhat of an issue, they traveled too fast for me to catch or block in time, and the power behind them was formidable. I needed a defensive position, but running to cover would be a death sentence.

My horn grew bright as I concentrated, focusing through the feeling of the fluffy pillows assaulting me from all sides. After a few seconds the spell completed and the pillows stopped. The silence was filled with a war cry as my armor, now wielding a Warhammer, launched a wall of pillows at the opposing forces as Rose and I ducked behind it.

“What’s the situation?” I asked Rose, a barrage of pillows blasting our location from three points.

“It seems the enemy has no doubt come to a truce, they fear the defensive might of our forces!” She responded.

“Then we should focus them down, one at a time. Celestia is the easier target.”

“Twilight is nimble, with the others gone she’ll have more room to evade.”

“And Luna is… why is it quiet?” I asked and peered around the armor.

If I could I probably would have paled at the sight, the armor was a bit too effective at flinging pillows as we now had none. Across from us, all three of our enemies grinned evilly as they held every pillow above them in a tri-colored glow.

“Uh, maybe we could talk this out?” I asked hopefully.

“The time for talks ended when you breached the code of pillow combat, you shall be dealt with swiftly!” Luna declared.

“FOR EQUESTRIA!” They yelled and launched all the pillows at us, crushing us softly as their shouts of victory drowned out our muffled cries.





Morning arrived swiftly, the golden beams of sunlight traced across the remnants of a battle hard fought, tall masses of pillows stood as great monoliths depicting a hard fought war. Eventually one started to stir, bringing down a cascade of pillows to reveal the golden glow of magic that raised the sun.

Celestia stood, ever eternal with the morning light casting a halo around her imposing form as she gazed out upon the battlefield. Memories of loss and victory clouding her mind as she used the ancient magic of the alicorn to awaken her fallen comrades.

“LAST ONE TO BREAKFAST IS GETTING RAW HAY!” She yelled out in ancient power, blasting away the once great mounds of pillow to reveal friends and family new and old as they cowered before her might, her radiance burning their sensitive retinas as they blinked rapidly in the sudden light for but a moment before jumping to their hooves.

Celestia lead the way out the door, a head start to serve her well, for she will not be the one eating the raw hay on this beautiful morn.





“I have no idea what’s going on.” I said as Rose, Twilight and I ran as fast as we could down to breakfast, blowing past maids and guards alike.

“We need to not be the last one or be served only bad tasting food.” Rose explained to me.

“That’s dumb, I thought the castle had plenty of food.”

“It’s another game Sigma, just for fun~” Rose said and poked her tongue out at me. “Can you get the door? Ladies first after all.”

I turned to Twilight, “Is that a thing?”

She nodded, “While courting it is customary for the stallion to go out of their way for the mare such as opening doors and holding out chairs for them and much more.”

That seemed weird, but for Rose I wouldn’t mind, she might appreciate the gesture. “Oh, I think I get it.” I said as I used my magic to pull open the door. Rose ran inside first followed by me, but there was a ‘poof’ sound as I crossed into the dining hall. I looked up to see Celestia looking grumpy, Luna grinning, Faina confused, and Twilight seated at the table as Rose and I approached.

“Twilight? You were behind me!” I exclaimed.

“Princess Luna teleported here from her chambers-” Twilight began but was cut off by Celestia.

“That was totally unfair!” She said.

“We still beat thee, thus we get the best meal.”

Twilight continued, “Princess Celestia went on hoof, but Faina was released early and had arrived before she did, then I teleported ahead of both of you when you held the door for Rose, meaning Sigma came in last place.” She finished with a nod.

“I can’t believe I arrived third!” Celestia cried out despondently.

“That means I get all the cake, right?” Faina asked with a grin.

Celestia narrowed her eyes, “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Relax sister, We shall have the chefs serve you with cake, as well as Faina. To deny an ambassador cake would be unbecoming of us.” Luna said in a serious yet teasing tone.

“I suppose that would be alright then, thank you.” Celestia nodded.

I raised my hoof, “Am I really getting raw hay? I think I would rather eat elsewhere if that’s true.”

“No Sigma, the food will be just as it usually is, I was just having a bit of fun.” Celestia said with a smile.

Rose chuckled, “It’s hard to imagine that after a thousand years you two are still acting like playful foals.”

Luna cleared her throat as the waiters arrived and set out various trays for everypony, and a large fish for Faina. “Yay I love this stuff!” She cheered and started stuffing her face. I had a weird salad and a soup, Rose just had soup and the others had salads.

I ate as the others started eating as well, the salad tasted like a salad would, nothing exciting, but the soup was amazing! I had no idea what it was but as I drank it felt like all the tension I didn’t know I had was literally melting away.

“This is amazing, what is this?” I asked as I gulped it down.

“That’s just a soup infused with a bit of magic to help recover from magic fatigue. After yesterday I wouldn’t be surprised if you ran yourself ragged with over-use of your magic.” Celestia said.

“Oh, well thanks then. Is Rose having the same?” I asked, her soup was more creamy than mine it appeared.

“After my own assumptions based on what Rose and Twilight have told me, I think it’s best that she’s on a liquid diet until everything starts working again. It will also help fill her in as well.” Celestia said.

“Oh. Hi Faina! How was the hospital, did you have a beeping thing?” I asked.

“Morning, and no, I just slept off the effects.” She said before chugging her drink, a bit of foam trickling out her mouth as she did. “Ah! That’s some good drink!”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now, does anyone mind if we speak of a civic matter?” Celestia asked.

I shrugged, “Don’t see why not.” The others nodded with my assessment.

“Thank you. Now, as I understand it Faina, you are here to learn about Equestria and its ponies, so I would like you to accompany my student Twilight in Ponyville. She herself is undergoing similar studies in friendship, and I’m sure she would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about your own people. Is that sound acceptable?” 

Faina pondered for a moment, “Actually I really like the idea, beats wandering around the countryside until somepony comes my way.” She turned to Twilight, “Bit of warning, there are things I won’t talk about in order to protect the clan as a whole, but I’ll let you know if you ask.”

Twilight nodded, “That’s perfectly reasonable. Also I may not have space at the library for you to sleep, would it be alright if we asked my friends to let you stay with one of them?”

“Sure, doesn’t matter to me too much.” Faina said as she finished her morning mead.

“So are we taking the train again?” I asked as I sat back in my chair, my plate picked clean and stomach full.

“Yes, as I doubt the balloon Twilight arrived in can fit all of you. I will see it gets shipped back to Ponyville. I will also have a number of guards escort you all to the station, will you be needing anything before you go?” Celestia asked as the waiters came out to gather the empty plates.

Twilight spoke up, “Should we let Rainbow know that we’re leaving?”

“Ah yes, Rainbow Dash.” Luna spoke up, “I received word from Spitfire that after the team had eaten dinner with her she decided to visit family in Cloudsdale but will meet up with you all in Ponyville shortly.”

“Thank you for telling us all, sister.” Celestia said sarcastically.

“I was going to let you all sleep and tell you in the morning, but the events of last night made us forget.” Luna defended.

“I can see that.” I said.

“Anyway, all that aside, I think you all should head to the main entrance, the guards will make sure you aren’t harassed between here and the train. Was there anything else?” Celestia asked.

The others shook their head but I spoke up, “Will you be visiting Old Canterlot sometime?”

Celestia and Luna smiled, “One day soon, perhaps. We would need to check our schedule to see when we can, and perhaps make it an event to re-introduce everypony to the world again.”

“I’ll talk to my sister and see how long it will take to complete the repairs needed, then open up to a public announcement.” Rose added.

Celestia nodded, “Please do, it would be lovely seeing everypony again.”

We said our goodbyes and headed out to the guards waiting for us at the entrance of the castle. With them basically surrounding us we didn’t get to see much of the city, and I couldn’t help but express my disappointment in being unable to do any shopping, regardless of a lack of bits. We all rode in the private car again, and by the blush on the train guard’s face she remembered us from last time. Unfortunately with Twilight there I doubt she would have allowed any shenanigans anyway. The trip was spent listening to Twilight regale Faina with stories of her friends and their adventures as Faina nodded along.

I turned to Rose, “Well at least we won’t be in any immediate danger in Ponyville.”

> Return to Ponyville 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deep within the Everfree Forest the various animals and monsters were just beginning to recover from the taint that had poisoned their home. Many had died already while others had been able to overcome the effects, but a few fell to madness.

The forest was filled with the sound of angered howls and barks mixed with pained yelps and whimpering that accompanied sounds of breaking branches. These all originated in a clearing in front of a large cave, where a large pack of Timberwolves fought against their alpha. The leader of the pack had gone mad, his body dripping the black sludge of the taint as he turned on his own and crushed them between his jaws.

They leapt up and latched onto its neck and legs, sharp teeth crushing the wooden body. The alpha howled in pain and rage before charging into the stone of the cave, crushing a few of the smaller wolves. The alpha twisted around and ripped off the third Timberwolf, its growls dying with a yelp as the alpha severed its spine.

The broken and dead Timberwolves around him glowed an eerie green as their remains joined with the alpha, healing his injuries and making him larger. Before long he was large enough to easily eat the members of his former pack in a single bite, increasing his size and might even more.

A young trio of the remaining pack ceased their attempts to attack the alpha, now growing fearful for their lives as their other kin quickly fell before their mad leader, watching helplessly as their pack mates were easily reduced to a pile of twigs. The trio turned tail and fled, the only goal in mind was to survive as the alpha chased after them, the forest silent save for the howls of the mad alpha.





The train managed to arrive in Ponyville without issue as it announced our arrival with a shrill whistle. Faina looked out the window as the train slowed to a stop; she was looking around at what she could see of the town from her limited vantage point of the seat’s window.

“It seems really small.” She commented.

“Well unlike Canterlot or the cities on the coast like Manehattan, Ponyville is rather small, but it’s more welcoming than the larger cities and we all take care of each other.” Twilight said as she strapped on her saddlebags.

“I like that idea, reminds me of our clan, the one for all kind of thing.” She said.

“Oh! So what type of leadership and culture do the Thestrals have?” Twilight asks, flipping to a new page in her notebook.

“Well I think I said we have a council, and then each member has one to three ponies who oversee various aspects of the clan. For example, my Grandfather is one of the elders, the eldest actually, and our clan Fang generally specializes in combat and security. So my job is to oversee various security operations, such as keeping an eye on the monsters entering our tunnels, making sure outside threats are re-directed or taken care of, and investigating any major crimes. Other elder assistants have similar jobs to their own fields, like ensuring the mines wont collapse and mapping out tunnels to keeping track of repairs and ensuring we have materials to make what we need. All of this is to ensure the prosperity of out clan.” Faina detailed.

Twilight was nodding along and writing in her notebook furiously, even as she stood to disembark the train. “Fascinating! Tonight we really need to go into more detail; did you bring any books with you?”

“Just a couple, mainly about the history before we sealed ourselves off, the history of the mine itself during the isolation, and one from Elder Fay detailing our more religious aspects regarding our god.”

“God? What god? The closest there are is the princesses, but they aren’t gods.” Twilight said.

“Well, he’s not a god as in some mysterious deity; he’s more like an extra planar fire elemental, or something. Elder Fay tried describing what he is a few times but it makes my head spin. I’ve spoken with him a few times actually, his last request was for me to summon him when the princesses are near, something about them owing him a drink. Anyway let’s go see the town!” She said as she stepped off the train. Twilight shook her head and followed shortly after.

Rose and I trailed them as they stepped out back onto the platform. I looked around; it hadn’t changed much from the last time I was here. Just like as we left, the station itself had more than a few ponies crowding the platform, both coming and going.

I turned to the others, “So, where to first?”

“Why don’t we stop by the hospital and check up on Zecora?” Twilight suggested.

We all nodded our consent and headed out. As we walked there were a few ponies that would smile and wave while others would simply go about their day without issue. We skirted along the edge of the busy market and soon found ourselves back in front of the familiar building.

“Oh! Hello there!” The receptionist said as we all walked into the front entrance. I raised an eyebrow, I didn’t recognize her and apparently the others didn’t either. She was a light blue unicorn with a blue and white mane and had bright blue eyes. “Are you all here visiting a friend?”

Twilight stepped up, “Yes we are, my name is Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends. We’re here to check up on Zecora.”

The unicorn hummed and flipped through some papers for a moment, looked up at Twilight, then flipped a few more papers. She bit her lip and ducked out of view as we heard a drawer open and more ruffling sounds. This continued for a few minutes before she popped up smiling nervously.

“Um, what was the name again?” She asked. I chuckled as Twilight face hoofed.

“Zecora.” Twilight said, spelling it out for her.

“Oh! For some reason I thought it was with a CV or something. One sec!” She slipped out of sight and opened another drawer, this time coming back up with a file and was reading through it quickly. “Right, says here she’s awake now and was moved to room 105…” she looked at a map of the first floor for a moment, “Through that door on the right!” She said, pointing to the left at the Emergency exit. She frowned before checking the map and flipping it the other way and pointing to the left now, “Left side that door, sorry!”

“Are you new?” I asked.

She smiled politely, pausing a bit as she looked me over, “Sorta, I’m here on an internship from Canterlot for some school credit, I’m actually going to be a dentist but I get credits for working in any medical office. And it pays well. It’s my first day.” She finished with a grin.

I nodded, “Keep up the good work!”

“Thanks Mr… Guy!” She smiled for a moment. “I’m Colgate by the way.”

“Sigma!” I said. “And this is Rose, Twilight, and Faina.”

“Hi!” Colgate said.

“What happened to the other mare?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m not sure, I was told she fell ill but the rumor going around is that a visitor really freaked her out pretty badly and the poor thing is too shaken up to come in.” Colgate said sadly.

“That sucks. Well I hope she feels better!” I said.

“Me too, thanks!” she waved us off as we headed through the door.

Rose whispered to me, “Do you think my appearance freaked her out so badly?”

“No way! She probably just got sick.” I assured her.

“Well regardless, let’s go check up on Zecora and see if Fluttershy is still here.” Twilight said as she headed to the room on the left.

We all followed behind in the hall, finding the door to room 105 on the left just as Colgate said. Twilight knocked twice before opening the door and heading in first. The room was spacious, well it would be if not for the overabundance of gifts, cards, balloons, and flowers all wishing for wellness and a quick recovery.

“Ah friends of mine, I welcome you to my room, though I am feeling quite fine.” I looked to see the striped pony on the bed, looking far better than she did at the top of the tower when I grabbed my book from her.

“Well you look more alive and less completely corrupted!” I said cheerfully.

“Ah, I see. Of you, Fluttershy has told much to me. Please do not take my words as bull, for I am quite thankful.” She said, she was about to say more but I interrupted her.

“Can you not do that? I have no idea what you’re saying.” I asked.

She chuckled, “If my rhyming causes you stress then I will refrain from doing so.”*

“Thanks!” I said.

“Wait, you mean you don’t have to always speak in rhymes?” Twilight asked.

Zecora shook her head, “Of course not, but you never asked.” She said with a coy smile, causing Twilight to simply gawk at her. Zecora tuned back to me, “As I was saying, I am very thankful for helping me in my time of need. I don’t recall much of what happened after I was taken, but from what Fluttershy told me…”

“Yea it was pretty bad, but hey! You’re back now, so it’s all good.” I said.

Zecora nodded and looked to Faina who was adjusting her cloak and fanning her wings a bit, “And what of your new bat winged friend? My tribe told stories of such ponies, those with the wings of night prospering under the moonlight.”

Faina ground her teeth for a moment, “I’m not a bat, I am a Thestral, and to my knowledge we don’t have any records of stripy ponies. Those tales probably refer to those hailing from Hollowed Shades; a few are training to be a part of Luna’s guard by my understanding.”

Zecora chuckled, “And I am no pony, I am a zebra from the savanna tribes far to the south and over the seas.”

“Neat!” I said.

“Wow, really? For some reason I just thought you came from the other side of the Everfree!” Twilight exclaimed and teleported onto the bed. “Can you tell me about your homeland? What’s it like sailing in the sea? What other stories do you know?”

Zecora raised a hoof as she chuckled, “Perhaps at a later date we can speak of it at length.” Twilight blushed and hopped off the bed. “Now, I think I owe somepony a great apology.” She said with a sad smile to Rose.

She stepped forward so Zecora wouldn’t have to strain to look at her. “Hello… You are a lot less intimidating now that you aren’t controlled by dark magic.” She commented.

Zecora sighed and took her bony hoof in her own, “Please, there is nothing that can redeem me for the great atrocity I have committed, my ancestors are shamed by my actions… the desecration of all of your people’s slumbers… there is no greater crime in my tribe, for I have stolen your souls from Elysium, no doubt bringing the wrath of the spirits upon me.” Zecora’s eyes began to water as she brought Rose’s hoof to her forehead.

Rose looked on sadly before she sighed, “Worry not, friend, none of our souls were taken from Elysium. All of those revived were lost souls, those whose lives were lost under great stress and the casualties of war. The city was destroyed by the Nightmare a thousand years ago, and though we don’t remember it, our spirits lingered in this world. You are helping to free us from our prisons, to fulfil the rest of our lives, to help us find peace.” She chuckled, “Besides, Gia already exerted her anger against your evil form for corrupting the forest.”

Zecora lifted her head, her face wet with tears as she gazed into Rose’s sunken eyes with hope, before slowly smiling and pulling the mare into a gentle hug.

“Aw!” I said with a smile, she’s being adorable!

They broke the hug a moment later and Zecora wiped her eyes, “Will you remain in the hospital for long?” Rose asked.

“Yes, I’m still rather weak in the knees at the moment, but I should be back on my hooves in another week.” Zecora said.

“Sweet! We’ll take you to see everyone at the castle then!” I said with a grin.

She chuckled, “I’ll look forward to it.”

Twilight cleared her throat, “Well we’ll let you get some rest, and do you know if Fluttershy went home?”

Zecora nodded, “She said she had a few animals still sick from the taint, it’s much weaker but it’s still making the creatures ill. It pains my heart that I cannot be of more help to her, to the forest.”

I walked up to her and booped her nose, “Just take it easy, it was an accident and we’ll be able to help clean it up in no time!”

She chuckled, “Then I’m glad there will be plenty of others to help clean up. Fluttershy tells me that Pinkie and Applejack have been helping those at the castle for the last few days with little rest, I’m sure they would be relieved that you are all back so soon.”

“Thanks Zecora, we’ll take it from here. You just focus on getting some rest. Come on everypony, let’s catch up with Rarity and see if Dash is back yet before heading to Fluttershy’s.” Twilight said as she led us out.

“Oh! And can we get some food too?” Faina asked.

Twilight chuckled, “If Pinkie is still at the old castle then I’m sure she has more than enough snacks and catering to go around.”

“Onwards to snacks!” I declared, earned a few chuckles.

We traveled from the hospital down an adjacent street, word must have gotten around as there were more than a few stares but nopony screamed and ran, they mostly looked at Faina with unease. At least they didn’t fear Rose and I as much, I chalked this up to the possibility of rumors of my heroics.

“Wow, everypony here is really skittish.” Faina commented.

“A lot of scary things happen in Ponyville, being so close to the Everfree Forest. Plus you are completely new to them; it will take some time to not outright fear you.” Twilight explained.

“Why is that?” She asked.

“Well… The ponies here are pretty xenophobic, they used to run and hide from Zecora thinking she was an evil enchantress. Right now they are probably trying to determine if they should run or not because of your eyes or longer ears. Plus you’re with me, so they probably know you’re safe to be around. I wouldn’t show your wings just yet though, they might panic for real and stampede through town convinced that a vampony is controlling my mind and they are all going to die.”

Faina just gave her a flat look. “You’re making that up. Nopony is that stupid.”

“They aren’t stupid, just…easily terrified.”

We stopped in front of a strange circular building. There were a large number of odd decorations and posters plastered over every surface and then splashed in a mountain of glitter and cleaned with perfume. 

“Guah! What is this place!?” I gagged, feeling my throat closing as my senses were assaulted.

“This is the Carousel Boutique! It’s Rarity’s home and store.” She said, ignoring my suffocation. “She creates all sorts of clothing from dresses to gowns and casual wear for ponies from all over, she even has a few celebrities and nobles interested in her line.”

“We don’t really have much for fashion, but I would be interested in seeing what she can do.” Faina said.

“And I wish to get another dress like the last one, and maybe a matching one for my sister.” Rose added. “And we need a new suit for dear Sigma.”

I gasped dramatically from my place on the ground.

“Alright, let’s all say hi.” Twilight said as she opened the door.

I dragged my hooves as I followed the others inside, but luckily the interior wasn’t flooded with the smell of that perfume.

“Feeling better?” Rose asked.

I nodded, “It smells fine in here, wonder what happened to the exterior for it to smell that bad?”

Rose shrugged as another voice called out to us, “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is-oh! Twilight! You’re back so soon, and with a new friend!” Rarity exclaimed as she came out from a back room. She was wearing a pair of ruby glasses and had a few odds and ends floating in her aura. “So what brings you to my little corner?”

“We’re showing Faina here around town before meeting the others at the old castle, and… well…” Twilight looked back to us and motioned to Rarity.

“Prince Blueblood… He was working with an evil being who had sent demonic hounds after us in order to get its hooves on Sigma’s book. While we were fighting them off, he broke into our room and tore everything to shreds looking for it; including the clothing you gifted us.” Rose said sullenly.

I patted Rose on the back to help comfort her, but a weird grinding sound turned my attention to Rarity. She was positively seething with rage, grinding her teeth back and forth so forcefully it made my own teeth hurt.

“Whoa, calm down Rarity, I know you don’t think kindly of him but he’s now in the custody of the royal guard for high treason, I’m sure they will be able to get some information out of him.” Twilight said, attempting to calm the unicorn.

It wasn’t very effective, “That… That… Scoundrel! That uncouth excuse for royalty!” She yelled, “He will rue the day he dared to assault the highest of fashion! The atrocity he has committed will bring about a social end to his name! His children’s children will cower in their beds for fear of the monster he has brought upon himself! All because he…” Her yelling died out as she started to sob, “My beautiful dresses! Ruined! Tarnished! Oh, what would they think when they hear that royalty rejected them in such a horrible way!?”

“Easy there Rarity, I’m sure this won’t reflect negatively on your reputation.” Twilight said, trying to calm her.

It took some time, but eventually Rarity managed to calm down enough to regain her composure. “Apologies darlings, sometimes I become… overcome.”

I shrugged, “It was kind of funny, you should do plays.”

“Ha ha, yes… So! Who’s your new friend Twilight?” I was astounded by Rarity’s ability to change the subject so fluidly!

“Well like I said before…” Twilight waved a hoof to vaguely refer to Rarity’s emotional breakdown, “Her name is Faina, she’s an ambassador for her clan up in the northern mountains and she was interested in seeing some of your works.”

This earned a gasp from Rarity, “Truly!?” Faina nodded. “Then you shan’t be disappointed! It’s been a while since I’ve worked with darker colors but I’m absolutely sure I’ll make you the perfect dress for all your ambassador work! TO THE WORKSHOP!” Rarity declared as she pointed to a back room.

We paused and gave her a look, “Ahem, this way, please.” Rarity amended with a deep blush.

Rose chuckled as we all filed into the back, “Yes, she does have a flare for the dramatic. I have to agree she should perform in plays from time to time.”

“I’m afraid I wouldn’t have the time, between my current work load and setting up a four pony quartet anyway.” Rarity said as she started pulling out different colored fabrics. 

“A quartet? A singing group?” Rose asked.

“Absolutely darling, there are more than a few ponies in town with wonderful signing voices, I’m hoping Fluttershy would like to join us but I’m afraid the poor dear would be too terrified. Would you be interested in auditioning?” Rarity asked as she got everything ready.

Rose smiled, “I think it would be wonderful to be part of a song group, I would love to audition!”

“Perfect! I’ll let you know once I have the dates worked out.” Rose grinned back at me and I smiled back, I bet she will be the best singer!

Rarity pointed to a raised dais, “Alright Faina, go ahead and strip out of the cloak and hop onto the platform there!”

Faina nodded, “Alright, give me a second.”

Rarity’s smile became more and more forced as Faina continued to remove far more gear and equipment than we thought she was wearing. She removed the cloak, a pair of saddle bags, followed by a pair of large belts with multiple pouches, a rapier, a small buckler that covered her chest, a vest, a shirt of shiny chain mail, an undershirt, and then her gauntlets and what looked like socks that were under the gauntlets. She placed them next to the other weapons. Once she was undressed she shivered, flapping her leathery wings a bit.

“It’s really cold in here…” She commented as she hopped onto the platform. Now that she was absent of her coverings we were able to see her cutie-mark, a simple dark splotch.

Rarity glanced from the stack of gear and equipment to Faina several times, eying her wings a few times as well. “Well… It’s not very often I meet a client so well… equipped.”

“I’m wearing extra because it’s cold outside the mountain.” She said, ruffling her wings against her sides.

“Her clan basically lives inside a volcano; she explained that they are all accustomed to extreme heat.” Twilight explained as she lit her horn. A soft aura encased Faina and faded into her fur, causing her shivering to stop.

“Ah that’s better…” She said. “Thanks!”

“No problem! I’ve never had to use my heating spell on a warm day before, but I’m glad it worked!” Twilight exclaimed happily.

I spoke up, “What’s you’re mark mean?”

She glanced back at her cutie-mark, “It represents my talent for blending into the shadows, and some say I become completely invisible but I think their eyes just don’t work as well in the dark.”

“Neat!” I said with a grin.

“Well let’s get started then darling.” Rarity said as she started tracing every inch of Faina with a small tape measure. “So, you and your clan are living in a volcano in the northern mountains? No relation to the bat ponies from Hollowed Shades I presume?”

“Just a distant one, back when the tribes were at war. There might be other clans too though, don’t really know. We are Thestrals, hot blooded miners with a high tolerance for alcohol, skin made of iron and steel in our bones.” She grinned toothily.

“Wow, that’s amazing! How did you guys to that?” I exclaimed excitedly.

“… It’s a metaphor for our mining culture.” Faina said.

“… Ohhhh, well why didn’t you just say that then?” I asked.

Rarity interrupted our conversation, “That’s all I need for measurements, let me just compare a few colors to your complexion. I assume you’re not wearing any makeup or artificial coloring?”

“No real reason to, and most of the clan isn’t too interested in dressing up, but I’m interested to see what we could gain from it, at least for formal events and meetings. Fancy fabrics tend to get torn or burst into flame in the lower areas.” She said as Rarity held up a few light fabrics that seemed to clash harshly with her grey/blue fur.

“I see, then you must have heavier, thicker fabrics to withstand such abuse, like your cloak and vest?” Rarity asked, holding up some shade of orange and a shade of yellow. “Bah, those won’t do.” She muttered.

“Yea, troll hide is very durable.” She said.

Rarity paused, a light grey fabric held in her magic, “So that is real leather then…” She shook her head and resumed her work, “I’ve never worked with the real kind, just the synthetic leather but I am told they are very similar to work with.”

Faina shrugged, “I wouldn’t know.”

Rarity nodded her head, “Well I think I’ve got a good idea for the colors, and I have an idea on a design that will bring out the elegance expected of a foreign diplomat. Hmm…” She held a hoof to her chin, “I’m a tad busy with other work orders, but I should have it finished by the day after tomorrow, along with Rose and Sigma’s outfits.”

“That’s fine, I don’t think I’m going anywhere for a while yet.” Faina said.

Rose pulled Rarity into a squishy hug, “Thank you!”

Rarity hesitated a bit, but soon hugged her back. “You are very welcome! And I must say, you’re beginning to fill in rather quickly. Drinking lots of fluids?”

She nodded, “Mostly water and soft food for now, I expect I’ll be rather soft until the new tissue grows in. That’ll be fun, peeling away all the old long dead flesh…” Rose looked mildly disgusted at the idea.

“I doubt it’ll be as bad as the other day after breakfast.” I assured her.

Rose nodded as Faina looked between us, “You guys are weird. I thought she was recovering from starvation or something.”

“Oh, sorry for not mentioning it, but I’ve been dead for the last thousand years. I think I’m doing rather well.” Rose said with a grin.

Faina chuckled, “Yea I’d say so. So based on listening into your conversations, I gathered that some book of magic went nuts and possessed Zecora who raised a city of undead bringing them back to life with their souls and they are slowly healing to actual living ponies?”

“You are a good listener.” I said and turned to the others, “I keep forgetting that she’s with us.”

“It’s what I do.” Faina said with a smug look.

“And falling for runic traps.” Rose jabbed with a smirk.

“Well excuse me for not being versed in magical traps. I should have trained more with the unicorn thestrals. Oh wait, we don’t have any.” She responded sarcastically.

“Well I’m sure Princess Celestia or Princess Luna can teach you after you finish your diplomacy stuff.” Twilight assured.

“Well I suppose, you never know when it could save your life.” Faina said as she hopped off the platform and started getting dressed in her gear.

“Great! I’ll send her a letter so she can schedule a lesson. For now though, did you want to drop off some of your gear at my place so you’re not carrying it around all over? I can use the spell to keep you warm pretty much all day, it’s not that hard to cast.” Twilight asked.

“Sure, most of this is just to keep me warm anyway.” She commented. I was a bit amazed at how quickly she threw everything on, it would have taken me three hours to figure out what goes where but after only a few minutes she was dressed just as she always was.

“You made that look easy.” I commented.

“Well, when you need to respond to an emergency you learn how to gear up quickly. So, where’s your little hut?” She asked Twilight.

“I think you mean house, but my house is a bit of a surprise.” She said with a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Twilight led the way as we all followed outside, “I’ll see you all late-URK!” Rarity said as she stepped outside and started coughing. She glanced at the exterior walls of her shop and sniffed them for a moment, “SWEETIE BELLE!” She screamed, “I TOLD YOU NOT TO USE PERFUME AS A CLEANING AGENT!!”

We quickened our pace to steer clear of the angry mare. I looked back in time to see a second story window open and a white unicorn filly climb out and into the branches of a nearby tree before bolting off in the opposite direction, presumably Sweetie Belle trying not to get caught. 

As we walked I tried to recall if there was anything about Twilight’s house that was amazing, but once you got past the fact it was basically a hollow tree the amazement wears off a bit.

“Oh!” I suddenly remembered something! “She’s got like a million books!”

“Wow, that’s a lot, Twilight do you have a hoarding problem?” Faina asked with concern.

Twilight turned bright red, “What?! N-no! I just love books! It’s a… Hobby! No, I’m an academic! I need them! Besides, it’s only seven hundred twenty-four thousand eight hundred fifty-two books! That’s nowhere near a million!”

“Just have over two hundred seventy-five thousand to go then?” Rose asked.

“Yep! Just you wait, within the next few months I should have-hey!” Twilight quickly caught on to her almost admitting her hoarding problem, much to the mirth of Rose and Faina. I didn’t quite get it, but I smiled along because they were happy.

“Well I’m sure such an avid collector has them well organized.” Faina chuckled.

Twilight cleared her throat to regain a bit of composure, “Yes, every third Wednesday we re-shelve the library for a deep cleaning, sorting, and re-shelving. Then about every day we have re-shelving of returned books and general upkeep as well as a number of other very important chores. Luckily I have Spike, my Number One Assistant to help me out.”

“Spike is a lizard!” I chimed in.

“Don’t let him hear you say that, he’s a baby dragon. Actually don’t mention the baby part, he gets upset.” Twilight warned us.

“A baby dragon? Now that is something I need to see. It’ll kind of tie in with our religion as well.” Faina said.

“Could your god be a dragon?” Twilight asked.

“Sort of, it’s complicated. I’ll explain it later when we have time.” Faina shrugged.

We eventually arrived in the shade of the tree home that Twilight lives in. Faina gazed upon its majesty; it’s unique and humble appearance easily disguising the arcane secrets held within its earthly confines. Faina’s eyes seemed to waver at the sight of it, her mortal mind failing to comprehend-

“It’s a tree.” She said, interrupting my descriptive narrative.

“And a library.” Rose added.

“Doesn’t wood burn really easily?” Faina asked. “I was thinking you lived in a cavern or a stone hut or something because you have a dragon assistant.”

Twilight seemed deflated almost, like she was hoping Faina would be excited or something. “Well, I used my magic to make sure it’s fireproof…”

“Cool, as long as I don’t burn to death in my sleep it should be fine, I’m not a Cog so you don’t have much to worry about.” She shrugged.

“What do you mean by cog?” Twilight asked as she opened the door for us.

We walked through the door and set our bags aside, Twilight fitting them into a shelf by the door as Faina explained. “One of the families of the clan. The Cogs are those well versed and specializing in inventing new things, like pick axe and armor designs, our mechs, the drills, and pretty much anything else. My friend, Gaige, is a cog and her workshop is just a mess but her mind is brilliant. She said she was working on something special for me when I left but wouldn’t say. We can go into more detail later though.”

“Sounds like a plan, Spike!” Twilight called out.

A moment later the little guy peeked around the corner, “What? I’m busy!”

“I just wanted to introduce another roommate for the time being, you can go back to reading your comics after that.” Twilight said. 

“Alright, fine.” Spike waddled out from around the corner and true to Twilight’s prediction, he was holding a colorful book of some kind, most likely the comics Twilight referred to.

“Spike, this is Faina, a Thestral from the mountains north of the frozen wastes.” Twilight introduced, motioning to Faina as she was undoing the straps.

“Hi there!” I’m Spike, Spike the Dragon! If you need anything just let me know!” He cheerfully declared with a smile.

Faina tossed the cloak and the warm padding aside and stretched out her wings as she smiled toothily at Spike, “Hey there! Aren’t you just a cutie?”

Spikes grin fell; he started to sweat as his pupils shrunk in fear. Faina was about to ask something but before she could, “VAMPONY!” He screamed and bolted out the library.

“… Really?” Faina asked the empty space Spike once stood.

Twilight face-hoofed, “I’m sorry, I should limit his exposure to those comics.”

“I think we should find him quickly so he doesn’t cause a panic in town.” Rose suggested as she peered out the door. “I think he headed in the direction of the apple farm.”

“Oh good, he must be heading to AJ, she’ll be able to calm him down before he does something silly.” Twilight commented as she hung up Faina’s gear. “Ready to go?”

Faina was wearing just a chain shirt and her gauntlets, leaving her wings free to flap about as they please. “Yep, let’s show him what a real ‘vampony’ is all about!” She said with a sinister grin.

“Please don’t, we’ll be up for weeks because of the nightmares you’ll give him.” Twilight said as she grabbed some more writing materials and switched to a lighter bag.

“What if we build a smaller house just for him outside so his nightmares don’t wake us up?” I suggested.

“Like a dog house?” Rose suggested.

“Spike isn’t a dog!” Twilight retorted.

“Yea, that would be weird.” I commented as we headed out the door to hunt a dragon.
> Friends of the Everfree
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Everfree Forests holds many secrets, one such secret is a sacred grotto, the home of the wood nymphs. Equestrian wood nymphs are exceptionally rare, thought to be mere myth and the things of fairy tales. These nymphs act on Gia’s behalf; they ensured the forest was healthy and strong, using their magic to keep as much outside influence out of their forest. 

The nymphs act in secret, whenever somepony enters their forest that pony has captured their attention. They watch from the shadows, judging the trespasser as they move the tree’s branches in a way to scare off the pony. If they insist, they send forth a monster to give chase. The forest is their territory, none are welcome, and few are tolerated, with one exception.

Years ago a zebra entered their lands; her magic seemed to sway with the forest’s magic as to not disturb the natural ebb and flow of energy. The nymphs watched curiously, it was a pony but did not behave like a pony. Not knowing what to do, they flitted about as they had always done and tried to scare her off. Instead the zebra would chuckle, the tone soothing to the plants and the trees. 

They watched as she gathered the various herbs and berries, the same kinds they often ate themselves, and mixed them together in a strange concoction and set a few bowls in the lower branches before moving on. Several nymphs remained behind as the others followed her, curious on what she placed in the trees.

The sweet smell was enticing, and it wasn’t long before it was sampled by one of the nymphs. It fluttered its wings in excitement and chittered to the others before slurping more from the bowl. Others soon followed its example and fell victim to the sweet taste. That night in the sacred grotto they spoke of the newcomer and allowed others to taste of the offering.

Most of them agreed, if the newcomer would provide such offerings daily then she would be allowed to stay. Their leader, King, and several others were against the idea. No outsiders were allowed to live in the woods, and they would take it upon themselves to remove the outsider.

For three days the zebra left more offerings in the forest, yet the nymphs were forbidden to partake in them by word of King. King and the others behind him watched the outsider to find any weakness to exploit, but none was found. The sky overhead grew darker by the minute; a rain was going to arrive. King and the others returned to the grotto, unaware they were being followed from a distance.

That night they discussed further action, perhaps sending several of the wildlife to deal with her. Lightning flashed overhead, drawing several wary glances towards the dark sky, one even flashed nearby with a deafening boom. The nymphs huddled together in their small shelters as the rain fell hard, but something wasn’t right, the trees were in pain when they should have been filled with joy.

The grotto grew lighter as though the midday sun was filtering through the branches, but the light flickered and wavered angrily. As they went to investigate, screams of panic filled the air. Wildfire wasn’t uncommon for the forest, it happened nearly every summer, but never had the fire been so close to their home. They used their earthly magic to adjust the flow of the rain to focus on the fire, but it was already so hot the rain evaporated before it could douse the flames.

A voice cut through the cries of panic, telling them to move the trees, bushes, and grasses away from the flame’s tongue. Having received no other word they followed the voice’s words and commanded the trees to move from their planted soil. There was much protest, but the trees and bushes abandoned their own homes with hope of being spared the pain of fire.

A cloaked figure rushed forward, digging hooves into the upheaved soil and throwing it on the flames. King saw this, the stranger working to protect not only their home, but the forest as well. In that moment something changed in King, a mutual respect for the stranger. He ordered his children to assist; they moved the great roots of the trees to quickly bury the flames. The few trees that were already engulfed were mourned, as they waited for the rain to put them out through the night.

After the fire, King spoke to the newcomer at length, even going so far as to reward her with a tree shelter for her efforts with the fire, and as apology for thinking so poorly of her. She took it in stride and prepared a feast for him and his people, and from that day they mutually worked together with the forest.

Then one day another newcomer arrived in their grotto. For any creature to know the location of their grotto was at times unheard of, but there are very few exceptions. Namely if someone had visited in the past, the forest would allow them to visit it again, for the memory of the forest is even longer than the memory of the nymphs. As a species of Fey, the wood nymphs of the forest lived on average about two hundred years, while other species, especially sub-planar ones, could be considered timeless. King sat across from one such being today.

“You have to listen to me, there is darkness coming to this land and you must take caution against it!” The creature squeaked in the language of Fey.

King regarded the visitor skeptically, he still disliked outsiders but Zecora had made him open up a little, and the fact that this being knew the location of the grotto and the forest recognized it allowed him to sit and listen to what it had come to say, but he still doubted it’s words.

King shook his head, “If something is to come that will affect the forest, we would know immediately.”

“It’s not just your forest, the barriers of the world are weakening, something is coming that will destroy everything. I have already confirmed with the other ancients that what I feel is true. Even now messengers are being sent to the alicorns and other leaders around the world. I only hope that the mortals will heed the warnings, and I hope you all do as well.” It said.

King hummed in thought, thinking back to his time with Zecora. “I do not heed strangers, yet you are familiar with these lands. Tell me of last you were here and a bit about yourself as well. I will listen, and then I shall make my ruling.”

“Well it’s better than nothing, fine. I am the breezie Tatl, one of the few born of the energy of the planes. As a planar being I can travel between many worlds and take various forms. Here, a breezie. Each world has its own species of fey that I can imitate. I have seen and experienced much, even spoken to gods themselves. 

“When last I visited this forest, it was merely the size of a large farm, and well before the birth of the alicorns sisters. I would travel the world with the breezies, floating effortlessly on the winds across the great planes. We settled down in the small wood one night and I met those that came before you. River, Birch, and Leaf would dance and play with us the most, it was a fun time. After that we continued on our way. I myself would often visit other worlds seeking adventure and fun, making friends across the realms.

“It was on one world, however, with a fey I called brother encountered a being that later got hold of a powerful artifact containing the evil of an elder god. I teamed up with someone chosen by the goddess of time herself to defeat the evil.

“It was during this time that I learned I could be so much more than a spirit flittering about for fun. I became a cleric, a vessel for one of the gods to fight against evil in my own right. It hasn’t been long since I have been a cleric, only about… eighty equestrian years? Give or take, but I’ve been working hard; there is a lot of stuff out there that simply wants to destroy existence.” She said.

King nodded, “And how do you propose we prepare for this disaster?”

“First I would like to bless the grotto to protect it from evil, and I would like the forest itself to be ready to combat hostiles, more than it currently is. I’ll also place wards around the forest to help protect it as well.”

“I see… and if this event does not come to pass?” King asked.

“Then we got lucky, but as it stands now, within another month or two things will begin to slip into this world.”

“What kind of things?”

“Things that are incomprehensible to any but the gods themselves.”

King sighed, “Do what you must, should these events be true then doing nothing will doom these lands.”

“Thank you. It will take a week or two to complete the wards.” She said with a bow and fluttered out of the hole in the tree which served as King’s residence in the grotto.

She hovered effortlessly in the center of the sacred place, taking in approximate measurements. She focused, her body glowing like a bright ball as she flitted about in a quick pattern. The streaks of light hung in the air like a sigil and pulsed with power. A barrier of a soft gold radiated outward in a spherical shape to encompass the entire grotto before fading.

“There, the primary barrier is set, it will keep evil at bay, but everything else is free to cross.” Where the barrier came into contact with anything a thin gold line appears, and as Tatl departed she too glowed golden for a brief moment.

Two weeks have passed, and the forest has become overrun with plague. The larger and older trees were able to resist it much longer than the younger saplings, but it still spread faster than wildfire. Several nymphs were unfortunate enough to come into contact with the substance. They could only scream in pain as it spread along their body before melting them into a puddle. 

Tatl hovered in the center of the grotto, feeding as much power as she could into her barrier. Whatever the plague was, it could not penetrate the barrier, but it would eventually. The nymphs could only look on solemnly, their magic useless against the corruption. King gathered his most trusted brothers and sisters and had them gather the seedling pods, the birth chambers of nymphs filled with the next generation.

“The way above is still clear; I trust you all with our future. Fly high, fly fast, find the one the animals call Caretaker. She may fear our woods, but her soul is full of kindness. Go to her, and do not return for us.” They nodded solemnly and prepared to take flight as King addressed the others. “The rest of you should flee to the Caretaker as well if you can. I will remain here, as it is my duty to watch over the forest as king. If you wish to remain by my side, we will die an honorable death. May one day this forest be cleansed and our children return home once more.”

He turned to Tatl, “Make sure they get to safety.”

She shook her head, “No! I can keep the barrier up yet! It’s too soon to give up!”

“I would ensure the safety of as many of my children as I can before I see you succumb to fatigue and perish with us all.”

Tatl looked between King and the others that were ready to go, to the line that stood behind king ready to face death with honor. She could feel her strength draining, perhaps she could last another day, maybe less, but in the end King was right. The corruption grows stronger over time, and before long she would be too weak to guide the young to safety.

She nodded, “Farewell, King, we will remember your sacrifice for eternity.” The glow of the barrier changed, forming a cylinder to above the canopy, pushing the corrupted branches aside until it reached the open air.

“Alright, it’s time to go everyone.” The nymphs carrying the pods and the young flew out above as high as they could. Tatl took one look back at the others who remained. “Goodbye, King.” 

She too flew after the others, leaving enough energy in the barrier to last a few more minutes. King and the others looked on with courage as the barrier faded, witnessing their home for thousands of years fall to the plague. Only in their final moment when the pain was too much did they cry out, thankfully none were nearby to hear.

Tatl flew far above the trees with the other nymphs, they feared the open air for predators but they feared the blacked trees far below even more. They flew swiftly and with purpose, a small swarm against the endless sky, all silent but the flittering of their wings as they headed to the home of the Caretaker. They could only hope that they had the strength for the journey.

> Apples and Butterflies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We stepped outside and were greeted with utter chaos; ponies of all ages ran blindly in random directions as they screamed in yelled in terror, several even plowing headlong into each other, knocking themselves out. A foal cried out as she dropped her toy. A stallion jumped into a wagon, followed by several others, and hid under a tarp. Doors slammed shut, shutters and blinds closed, and a chilling silence fell over the town.

“… Twilight’s hair isn’t THAT bad.” I commented as a weed blew past.

Twilight flicked her tail in agitation, “Not now Sigma, Spike sent the town into a panic because he was screaming about vamponies! When we find him he’s going to be grounded for a month!” She yelled as she started stomping down the road, “Come on, Sweet Apple Acres is this way.”

We followed after Twilight as she stomped off down the road, muttering to herself all the while. I grabbed the fallen toy in my magic and looked it over; it was a strange doll of many colors and a mane of yarn.

“Worry not, noble… thing, we will return peace to this land within a fortnight.” I said solemnly and placed it on an abandoned fruit stall.

The others were giving me a weird look.

“… what?” Faina asked.

“Look a distraction!” I called out and pointed at a cloud. The others glanced up and the sky exploded, a rainbow of color radiated outward from a single point, while a more solid line of rainbow screaked down toward us, speeding above the town and sending shockwaves that rattled the windows in their frames.

“Holy Celestia…” I looked at my hoof in astonishment, “I can summon rainbow explosions!”

“Wha-how?!” Faina started looking between me and the sky while Rose kept watching the rainbow with a grin.

“What’s up, Eggheads?” A voice said from behind me. I spun around to see Rainbow looking smug, “How did you like my entrance?”

“Did you see that?!” I exclaimed, pointing at the sky. Rainbow nodded with a grin, “I can summon explosions!”

Her grin faltered, “Ehm, no, I did that. But it was amazing, am I right?” She said and stuck her chest out.

I turned to Rose, “I can summon explosions!” She nodded dumbly. I looked at my hoof in awe, “This is a very dangerous power, I must be careful…”

Rainbow growled as she looked around, “What gives?! I put on a show and the town is deserted! And on top of that you’re taking the credit!” She pointed at me angrily and then flew ahead to Twilight, who was glaring straight ahead still and hadn’t stopped her angry march. “Come on Twi, you at least saw me being awesome, right?”

Twilight continued on without a glance or remark. Rainbow deflated, her wings falling to the ground as she sighed. 

“I saw you Rainbow Dash!” A shrill voice yelled out. 

We all looked around as the sound of buzzing steadily grew louder. I looked back at my wings; they were still tucked away, so it wasn’t me. Suddenly an orange blur blew past us, kicking dust into our eyes and noses.

Oh it was horrible! My eyes were on fire and breathing was really hard! My chest convulsed as I coughed up the cloud of dirt, I could feel tears running down my cheeks as I blinked rapidly to clear them. Who did this?! Why!?

“Rainbow Dash! That was sooo cool!” the voice exclaimed. 

My eyes were thankfully cleared a few moments later. Rose was broken out of her rainbow trance and Faina was focusing on Rainbow. I looked as well to see a small orange filly hopping around Rainbow and chatting excitedly.

“-and when you flew over the town to bleed off the extreme speed it was just so cool!” she babbled.

“Yes, I am pretty awesome.” Rainbow said and puffed her chest out.

The filly squealed for a moment before she finally noticed us, “Who are those weirdos?”

I looked behind us, but there wasn’t any pony else. “What weirdos?”

“Uh, you guys…” She said, pointing between us.

“Hey!” Faina exclaimed, “The only weirdo here is Sigma, thank you.”

“Yea!” I said. Wait, am I weird? “Hmm… Rose, am I weird?”

She came up and pecked me on the cheek, “Yes, and don’t you dare change.”

“Works for me!” I grinned.

“Yea, I see what you mean now.” The filly said.

Faina walked up to her, “Yep, I’m Faina, by the way, what’s your name?”

“I’m Scootaloo! The fastest filly on four wheels!” She said and struck a pose on her scooter. “Are you that vampony Spike was screaming about? Are you going to drink all our blood? Do you have a reflection? How can you stand in the sun like that?”

Faina looked annoyed at the questions directed at her; it was going to be a long day.

--

We finally reached Sweet Apple Acres, the trip taking an uncomfortable amount of time as Scootaloo kept pestering Faina the entire way. She had simply given up at this point and was now walking with a wing extended awkwardly so Scootaloo could see it and continued to ask questions.

“That’s so weird! Did the feathers just fall out? Is this what happens if you don’t preen? Will your foals have feathers? Are bat ponies born from eggs? I bet you can’t fly very fast. How fast can you fly? Can you even fly without feathers?” and around and around she would go with the questions.

I managed to tear my eyes away from the scene to take my first look at the fabled apple farm… There was a lot of trees and a lot of apples. There was also a fence, a dirt path, and a gate.

“I don’t get it.” I said.

“The apples here are known through all of Equestria, there are even a few companies in the cities that pay tons of bits just to use these apples in their stuff.” Rainbow said.

“I didn’t take you for knowing your friend’s business so well.” Rose commented.

“Trust me, sometimes when I crash in her barn with a hangover I hear her loud and clear.” She rolled her eyes.

“*cough* Lightweight- *cough*!” Faina suddenly started coughing for some reason.

I tilted my head, “Are you okay?”

“*Ahem, eahm, ack* Yea, I should be fine, something just came over me, I probably just need a strong drink.” She grinned at Rainbow, who was hovering in midair leveling a glare at her.

“Okay then, let’s go do the thing!” I called out.

“SPIKE!” Twilight yelled out, she must have used an amplification spell or something because the branches of the trees were blown back from the yell, causing several to lose their apples.

Once the echoes faded we heard a response off in the distance, “Consarnit Twilight!”

“Sounds like she’s here… Have I met her?” I asked. “Wait, was she the one with the speech impediment?”

Twilight sighed, “It’s an accent, and all the Apples have it.” She set off at a trot, the rest of us following behind her down the road.

“Is it contagious?”

“No, Sigma.”

“Rose, I’m confused.”

“An accent is just how a pony speaks, as they grow up in certain areas they learn how things are pronounced, and if things are pronounced one way they will say it that way, and when they travel to an area where the ponies say the word a different way, the difference is considered an accent.” She explained.

“Yep, pretty much.” Twilight added.

“Oh. Well why didn’t you just say so Twilight?” I asked

“Uhg, why do I have to put up with all of you?” Twilight sighed.

“Because you volunteered.” I said with a grin.

Twilight grunted and quickened her pace. I looked ahead towards the horizon that quickly just turned out to be a hill and saw the orange apple pony heading our way with a sour look upon her face. 

“Go on now go… walk out the door…Don't turn around now... I don't need you anymore...” I found myself uttering strange words and humming a tune for a few seconds before it faded from my mind.

“What was that, dear?” Rose asked.

“I think I remembered part of a song or something, can’t remember anything else though. Oh well.”

“I’m sure more will return in time.” Rose said.

Applejack trotted up to Twilight and pressed her forehead against hers roughly. “What in the Sam hell are ya doing, screaming and holleren the apples out of the trees!? We have to change our entire schedule just to clean up the mess you made!”

“Are they kissing?” I tried to get a better look. For some reason Rainbow thought that was hilarious and literally laughed herself out of the sky.

Applejack and Twilight backed away from each other quickly, faces burning red. “Was not! Ah’m just tryen to tell her off for acting like a foal!”

“Sure AJ, just keep telling yourself that!” Rainbow spat before erupting in guffaws again.

Applejack glared at her before coiling her back leg like she was going to kick her, but Rainbow quickly shot into the sky, conveniently taking the still yapping Scootaloo with her.

“Ah swear one of these days she’s going to have ‘er guard down and ah’ll put her out for a week!” Applehat grunted. “Anyway, I expect you to help clean up this mess. So what bring’s ya out here? Spike showed up a bit ago huff’n and puff’n about somthen.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Spike ran up to AJ as she was bucking the trees, slowing down long enough to shout hoarsely, “Pony…! Twi…! Claws…! Daylight…!” AJ raised a classic skeptical eyebrow and continued about her day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“An then he ran toward the Crusaders’ clubhouse.” She explained. “Figured he was spooked about nothen and if you needed help ya would have sent a messenger.”

“Yea my appearance freaked him out a bit.” Faina said as she stepped out from behind Twilight. “Faina Night-Steel, thestral of the Crystal Mountain Mines.” She held out a gauntleted hoof in greeting.

“Well, look at that there fancy horseshoe! Ah bet that cost a pretty penny.” Applejack commented.

“… It’s a gauntlet, and my brother made them from scratch.” Faina said flatly.

“That’s some fine hoofwork, yer brother’s the real deal.”

“Yea, he’s one of the most talented smiths back home, I once watched him take a lump of iron, beat it with a hammer for a bit, and crafted an ornate sword just to show off. Then he used the sword as scrap metal for another order.”

“Well that seems like a waste of a good sword.” Apples commented.

“Iron swords are useless to us; we need a stronger material for mining and fighting. Like these babies!” Faina exclaimed proudly as the trio of blades sprang forth.

“That’s a fancy trick! They look mighty sharp too, could peel a whole crop of potatoes in no time at all!” 

Faina sighed and retracted the blades. “Never mind, you’re failing to grasp their purpose and I don’t feel like explaining. So yes, I’m the vampony with kitchen knives strapped to my hooves. Nice meeting you I guess.”

“Aw don’t be so down, Ah’m sure mah brother Big Mac would love to talk shop, he’s friends with the local cobbler!” Applejack said.

“A cobbler. Gee thanks. Twilight where is this club house so we can finish this up? So far today has been nothing but disappointment.” Applejack looked away sadly.

“I’m sorry; it’s down this path here. Let’s find Spike and head back to the library.” Twilight said, pointing the way for Faina. She started off ahead of us and once she was out of earshot she apologized to Applejack. “I’m sorry AJ, she’s from a very different culture that focuses around combat and craftsmanship. But stop by the library later and offer her some of your special black label cider, I’m one hundred percent certain she’ll appreciate that far more than idle chatter.”

“Well, ah guess ah understand, but promise me you ain't going to drink any of it.” She said sternly.

“You have my word, I have no intentions of going through all that again.” Twilight said, followed by attempting to scoop out her eye with a hoof.

“I think we should go…” I said as Twilight rubbed her now inflamed eyeball.

Rose nodded and we started down the path to catch up to Faina. “I wonder how the others are doing at the castle.” She said.

“They probably got a small village set up, not to mention probably a mass panic after their organs started working again.” I said with a shiver.

“Agreed. Hopefully it was well contained.”

“Well Applesnack didn’t mention it, so either she wasn’t there or it was taken care of in a decent manor.”

“Her name is Applejack, dear.”

“… right, I knew that.”

“Besides, if she was there I doubt she would openly speak about it.” Rose said as we caught up with Faina. “And how are you holding up?”

“Culture shock… I heard about this from my grandfather before heading out. I knew it would be weird, being out here, but talking to that mare it just really hammered home just how… I don’t know, how everything out here is less than what I am used to. Each day we try to strive for our best and take pride in our accomplishments. Heh, and sometimes gloat about them in the great hall until someone challenges them to a drinking contest, in which case I usually win.” She chuckled, “Gods I could use a drink.”

I’m not sure exactly what happened after that, but her ear flicked at a sound I barely heard and the next moment she was ten feet off to the side as something fell on both Rose and I. It looked like a bunch of rope tied together, it almost looked like-

“A net!” Faina exclaimed.

“Yes, a rather small one too.” Rose said as she lifted the net off of us.

Suddenly the bushes started talking! “I told you to make it bigger!” it said in a voice with a weird twang to it. 

“But it was the best I could do on short notice! Just be glad Scootaloo didn’t help or it wouldn’t look remotely like a net!” Said a slightly higher pitched voice.

“Shush! Keep it down or they’ll hear-AAH!” the first voice cut off in a short scream, followed shortly by Faina flying out of the bush holding two small fillies, one was the white one I saw escaping from Rarity’s wrath earlier.

Faina placed them on the net they probably threw at us and proceeded to tie them up in it. Then she threw them over her back so they would be suspended in the net on either side of her with their hooves, heads and tails poke out through the holes.

“Looks like I caught lunch-“ She said and looked at the yellow one, “And dinner.” She said to the white one, causing them both to tremble in fear.

“You know, scaring them like that probably won’t help you debunk the ‘vampony’ thing.” Rose commented.

“At this point I could care less, they shouldn’t be doing that kind of thing anyway. Hey, yellow, where’s Spike?” She asked her captive.

“If… If I tell you, promise you won’t eat us!” She said fearfully.

“I promise not to eat you.” Faina said casually. 

“Well… okay… I was hanging out with Sweetie Belle at the clubhouse when Spike ran in and passed out. He woke up a few minutes later and told us a vampony was in town hunting ponies. Then we got the idea to try and get our vampony catching cutie marks and started making this net and then Spike left to go warn Fluttershy. That’s all we know!” she said, teary eyed.

“And I knew Rarity would be mad about the perfume in the soap but I thought it would smell nice so I poured some in anyway but I accidentally dropped the entire bottle in the bucket and I didn’t want to get in trouble for wasting the perfume so I hoped I could just wash the outside like normal and not get in trouble!” the other one, presumably Sweetie, rambled out.

“Well that explains that. Which way to, ah, Fluttershy?” Faina asked.

“Hey! You said you’d let us go if I told you about Spike! You promised!” The yellow one accused.

“No, I promised not to eat you, and I didn’t plan on it from the beginning.” Faina said.

“What?!” Sweetie shrieked, I had to rub my ears at the frequency. “You tricked us!?”

“No, you failed yourselves. We’re after Spike now to stop him from spreading a false lie about me and clear the water a bit.” Faina said. “Now, which way?”

The yellow one rubbed her chin for a moment, “So you’re sure you’re not a vampony? Yer teeth look mighty sharp and pointy.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I do eat meat. Not ponies or anything though. Because that would be cannibalism.” Faina said wisely.

“Well, I guess that ain’t so bad. Alright, promise that when we get to Fluttershy’s you’ll let us go.” She said.

“Done.”

“That way then.” She said, pointing to a split in the path.

We started walking down the path towards Fluttershy’s when Twilight finally managed to catch up, what she had been talking to Applejack about I had no idea.

“Here you are, and why do you have Sweetie Bella and Applebloom tied up?” She asked casually.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders: Vampony Hunters was a flop.” Sweetie said dejectedly.

“Pretty much.” Faina confirmed. “They said after Spike gave them the idea that he headed to someone called Fluttershy, you know her?”

Twilight giggled, “Of course I know her, were friends! She’s a pretty shy pegasus, so don’t be put off if she won’t talk to you or thinks you look scary, she’s literally afraid of her own shadow. But I’ve seen her face down and tame even the most ferocious of animals. Except the hydra. Too many eyes to focus on.”

“Good to know, thanks.” Faina said.

“She likes me though.” I piped up.

“What? How did that happen, you’re the weirdest looking one here.” Faina asked me.

“She helped Zecora bring him to the hospital when she found him in the forest, and since she takes care of wounded animals all the time she quickly got over her fear and did what she needed to do.” Twilight said proudly.

“You forgot to mention the part where I was drowning in my own blood from a ruptured throat from screaming constantly.” I added.

“Well I didn’t feel that that was relevant to what I was saying.” Twilight looked annoyed.

“Now I have to hear this.” Faina said. Apparently I also had the attention of the two fillies as well.

I spent the majority of the walk explaining in great detail basically everything I experienced in the last few days since I woke up to the best of my ability. Rose would pitch in every now and again as well whenever I had issues with describing certain details, up to the point I met Faina.

“Wow, busy from the start it seems like.” She said.

"You're not very smart, are you mister?" Sweetie asked.

“I have one question though; you never mentioned feeling a weird tingle before, are you still getting them?” Twilight asked.

“Actually now that you mention it, I have been for a while. I get it whenever Rose is around and it feels nice so I try sticking close to her.” I said.

“And here I thought you were just being affectionate.” Rose teased.

“I am, the warm tingles are a bonus. It’s weird though, because you all give me tingles too but not as strong.” I hummed in thought. Then I hummed just because.

“Fascinating!” Twilight exclaimed as she took notes with a paper and quill that I am 200% sure wasn’t there a second ago. “If you have time I’d like to take a few readings to try and identify what’s causing it!” She said as she started rambling about ‘the possibilities.’ I didn’t really care, personally I was still looking forward to training with Rose over the next few days. That person who sent the dog monsters after us was still out there, I would need to know all I could to help out.

“Oh look, we’re here!” Twilight cut herself off as she almost walked into a mailbox. I looked up from my musings to see Fluttershy’s cottage again.

“There, ya made it ta Fluttershy’s. Can you let us go now?” Applebloom asked.

“Sure.” Faina said and stood there doing nothing.

“Well?” Sweetie asked. “You did promise, remember?”

“Yes I remember, but I’m not holding you, so you are already let go. You are just tangled in a net that happens to be strapped across my back.” Faina grinned.

“WHAT!?”

“You tricked us again!”

“That’s not fair!”

Faina was outright laughing at this point as she was being screamed at by a pair of angry foals. The yelling and bickering stopped in and instant though when Faina lifted a hoof and the blades erupted from her gauntlet.

“Now hold still, I’m not in the mood to be covered by blood.” Faina reared back and… let the net harness slide off, the knot falling loose with the slack releasing the fillies. “There, all done.”

They looked at each other and then quickly ran away to parts unknown.

“Oh yea, I forgot my gift basket here! I wonder if she still has it.” I pondered.

“The one we all got you while you were in the hospital? She probably does.” Twilight said. I nodded as she walked up to the door and gave it a few gentle knocks. “Fluttershy? Are you home?”

…

“I don’t think she’s here.” I said, looking around. “Actually this place seems deserted, where are all the animals?”

“Now that you mention it, I’ve never heard her cottage so quiet before either.” Twilight said. She knocked again, “Fluttershy, it’s Twilight! If Spike is with you then you should know there aren’t any vamponies! It’s safe to come out!”

“Wouldn’t a vampony say that to lure out the unsuspecting?” Faina asked. I shrugged, I didn’t really understand what they were anyway.

Twilight groaned, “Not now, please.”

Suddenly a warm light washed over us. “What was that?” I asked.

A voice from inside spoke up, “It’s okay, they’re not evil.”

“Oh thank goodness, I was so worried. Thank you.” I heard Fluttershy say to the first voice. The door opened to reveal a tired looking Fluttershy. She stepped aside and waved us all in.

“Oh my, you must be Rose. Rarity told me about you when you went to Canterlot. You look a lot better than what she described. Did you want some soup? I have some left over; you must be getting a bit peckish.” She offered.

“Hm, I suppose I could use something, thank you.” Rose said as we made our way inside.

Faina was the last to enter, eliciting a ‘Meep!’ from Fluttershy. A moment later a different voice called out from upstairs, “Who is it, Fluttershy?”

“Spike?!” Twilight asked loudly.

“Twilight? Twilight!” There was a loud pitter-patter as Spike ran down the stairs and basically threw himself at Twilight and embraced her. “Oh Twilight! I was so worried you were eaten by the vampony! I’m sorry I ran, I panicked!”

“It’s okay Spike, but we need to set this straight before you keep panicking. Faina is a thestral, a cousin to bat ponies. She is not, that’s a capital N-O-T, a vampony of any kind. And tomorrow you will take Faina on a tour of the town and apologize to everyone for causing a mass panic. But for now, apologize to Faina. She is very upset for what you did today.” Twilight’s scolding almost brought Spike to tears as he realized he jumped to the wrong conclusion.

“S-s-so… y-you’re not a…” Fluttershy managed to stutter out as she shook violently.

Faina slowly shook her head, “No, I’m not. I won’t hurt you or your friends.”

Fluttershy seemed to calm down greatly at that, but she was still a nervous wreck, “I, um, the soup… if… that’s okay…” She seemed to sink lower and lower into herself as she tried to continue and just wound up letting out a whimper.

Faina took a few steps back and sat down, “That’s okay, you go ahead and do what you need to do.”

Fluttershy nodded and hurried into the kitchen out of sight. Spike approached Faina, “I-I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion, I know vamponies don’t exist but my fear made me forget that… can you forgive me?”

“Yea, I can accept that. So we’ll be hanging out tomorrow then?” She asked.

Spike nodded, “Yep! I’m going to show you all the coolest places in town!”

“Oh sure, let’s all ignore the breezie in the room and chat amongst yourselves. Oh, and that false alarm about the vampony, thanks for that.” The first voice we heard called out. I looked around for the source but I wasn’t able to see it. “I’ll have you know that vamponies are real in some parts.”

My eyes settled on a medium sized flower. “Guys! This flower is talking! Are you a breezie? What is that, and how is it different than a flower?”

“I’m not a flower you empty-headed buffoon!” my sight was suddenly blocked by a very large pair of light blue gossamer wings with darker blue colors swirling through them, and attached between them hanging from my horn was what looked like a teeny tiny pony! She was white but her mane and tail were a darker blue and were almost three times the length of her body, and her wings were at least ten times her size!

“… Butterfly pony?” I asked it.

“Breezie! Well, in this realm anyway, but still!” She released her hold on my horn and slowly floated toward the ground in a slow spin, her wings moved slightly and she was right side up, floating at eye level and glaring at me. 

I blew air at her and the result was immediate: she screamed loudly as she spun out of control and floated backwards a few feet until she righted herself. “Don’t do that or I’ll turn you into cinders!”

“How would you do that?” I asked curiously.

“Magic.” She said simply.

“Oh.” That made sense.

“Oh, um,” Fluttershy was poking her head out of the kitchen, “Please be nice to, um, Tatl, I have a lot of guests today and they don’t really like visitors…”

“Yea! So who are you and what do you want?” Tatl demanded. Such an angry tiny pony!

Twilight stepped forward. If it comes down to a show of magic I’m certain Twilight can save us! Optimism! “Sorry about Sigma, he’s… not well in the head. My name is Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia. This is Sigma, Rose, and Grand Faina Night-steel of the Crystal Mountain Mines.”

Tatl looked rather bored at the introductions until it came to Faina, she perked up a bit. “Crystal Mountain Mines, eh? Well I’m glad Akthul sent someone to warn these ground pounders. If he trusts you you’re good in my book.”

“You know Akthul?” She asked curiously.

“Well not personally, but I’m told he’s an excellent judge of character and his pick of mortals usually go on to do great things. He was one of the first to heed the warnings I was advising the realm’s guardians about as well. Being what he is he has closer ties to the planes and was able to feel something was amiss. I am Tatl, a cleric in service to Pelor, god of the healing and sun domains. I am also closely tied to the gods of time themselves due to an unfortunate event…” she stopped moving and just stared off into space, losing altitude slowly. She was about to settle to the floor when she regained herself and flew back up. “Sorry, anyway it’s a pleasure.”

“Likewise.” Faina smiled.

“The rest of you should do what you came to do and get lost.” Her attitude changed rather abruptly as she addressed us.

“So you don’t care as much about Princess Celestia’s student? She controls the sun, wouldn’t your god have the same respects for her and who she chooses?” Twilight asked. She sounded kind of desperate.

“Do you even know what a god is?” Tatl asked her, Twilight was about to respond but Tatl kept going. “A god is a timeless being of immense power. Their power is so beyond comprehension that even the slightest act from any of them could destroy and create millions of universes. That’s why they send disciples and followers to act in their place and bless them with a smidge of their power. Pelor knows of the princesses, how they ‘control’ the sun and moon. He set it up to be that way; a sun linked with a mortal to create a demi-god after the events of the chaos beast disrupts the reality of this realm permanently. And he has poor judgement, already within the first few thousand years she has let calamity fall upon the land. Demons, enslavement, more, even her own sister fell to a simple corruption in petty jealousy. They are supposed to protect these lands, instead they send mortals as though they were full gods themselves. They are even worshiped! Pelor sees this and is displeased, but his hooves are tied as they say. So no, I don’t care. Want proof? Take the last thousand years, name one major advancement.”

“She brought peace to the lands!” Twilight defended.

“Did she? At most its balancing on weak trade agreements, and peace is fickle at best. Akthul on the other hand, he watches his children closely, he calls them as such, and he is able to judge what his children would need to reach even further. They have mastered so many works and creations that even he had no idea were possible to make. If you want to really open your eyes, return with Faina to her home and see for yourself, if you can.”

“Well I think you’re just being a bit rude!” Twilight rebutted.

“And I said I don’t care, now leave or I will force you out, this house is under my protection.” Tatl threatened.

“Rose let’s just go, I don’t want to be turned to cinders.” I said. Rose nodded and we headed out the door.

“Oi! Rose can stay, she’s got food cooking thanks to the Caretaker. She’s also from the forest so she’s welcome here.” Tatl said, ignoring the unicorn gritting her teeth.

“Can I stay then?” I asked.

She seemed to think about it and looked up to the corner of the ceiling. I looked too but didn’t see anything. “You may, there is something to discuss with you later. So purple pony needs to skedaddle or face the wrath of Tatl… heh.”

“I’m the protégé of Princess Celestia and I’ve been studying magic my entire life! I’ve even faced down Nightmare Moon!” Twilight declared, stamping a hoof in agitation.

“And I’m a being as old as time, birthed at creation in the space between spaces. Don’t push me, foal. Leave. Now. If you want a dual, seek me out later, I’m busy.” Tatl said, they air was thick with tension as they stared each other down.

“Twilight…” A soft voice called out. Fluttershy was standing just outside the kitchen with a bowl of soup held between her wings. “Please, I hate to ask you, but you are scaring them all, and I don’t want them to hurt you. Please calm down and do as she says, for your safety.”

“Fluttershy, what are you talking about? There’s nothing else here!” Twilight asked.

“They are hiding, but please, trust me on this. Consider my house a den for the Ursa and the Ursa has a baby. What do you think would happen if the Ursa felt her baby was in danger? Please, I will do what I can so you can come back to visit, I promise, but now is really, really not a good time… I… I have to put my hoof down on this.” Fluttershy said rather forwardly. I started to applaud but Rose stopped me and shook her head.

“… I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I guess I just don’t understand what’s going on here, but I will wait for when you can tell me.” Twilight  said with a sigh.

“And um, take Spike with you too, he was only given temporary as… asyl… protection because we thought the vampony was real.” Fluttershy added.

“Oh, well, alright. Whatever is going on here, I’m sorry I scared you all and stuff… I’ll be going now.” Spike said as he quickly ran out of the house and down to the river.

“I guess this explains why the other animals are gone too.” Twilight said as she headed for the door.

“Yes, pretty much, my neighbor Carrot Top volunteered to look after them with her group of friends, it’s not the first time and I’m really grateful to her.”

“Alright, have a good night Fluttershy.” Twilight said.

“Goodnight.” Fluttershy said as she closed to door behind her and let out a sigh. She turned to Tatl, “You didn’t have to be so rude about it, I’m sure it would have been alright to tell her.”

“I have to follow the last request of King, I’m duty bound to uphold it any way I see fit.” Tatl said as she floated down to the table and scooped up a drop of soup in her hooves and sipped it. “Not bad. Alright, Faina, Rose, and Sigma, right? Pull up a cushion, we need to have a small chat.”

We looked to each other and shrugged, Fluttershy excused herself to make some more soup as we sat down. I nervously fiddled my hooves in the dead silence of the house, why did it feel like we were being watched by countless eyes I couldn’t see?
> A Changeling and His Dog
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was expecting some kind of long discussion, something that would change everything for everyone at the table. Instead it was rather simple and directly to the point. I owed thanks to the tiny brown bug things the butterfly called Nymphs, because they told Zecora about me. Rose ate her soup, and had another bowl then ate that too. Faina just looked bored until Tatl wanted to hear about her homeland. It wasn’t anything I haven’t already heard so I tuned them out. 

Instead I opened my book for the first time in a while… Huh, it was pretty busy the last few days, I’m glad I’ll be able to take the time and actually read the thing that some butt-hole is after. I opened it up to the first few pages when suddenly all the moth things flew around in a flurry before vanishing in the wood. A second later we heard this loud, window-rattling howl pierce through the night.

“… I’m sure it was just the wind. And the house settling.” I said confidently. 

“No, go out and see what it was, I have refugees to protect.” Tatl commanded.

“Alright fine.” I got up and opened the door, the moment I did I was almost bowled over by a trio of dog things. “Hey!” I looked back out to see the mother of all dog trees, head and shoulders clearing the tree line as it lumbered closer… lumber.

This is no time for jokes! I closed the door to address the others, “There is a very big wood dog coming this way.” I turned to see three other dogs of the wooden persuasion cowering in fear behind an equally terrified Fluttershy who was hiding behind a confused Faina. Were they the ones that almost knocked me over?

The next moment Tatl the butterfly exploded in light that seemed to encompass the entire house, and not a moment too late either as the sound of something very large smashed into the light.

“Gah!” Tatl yelled out. “Don’t just stand there, get out and do something about it!” 

I smiled as I got an idea, “I’m going to tame it and add it to my summons!”

“Sigma dear… I don’t think it’s capable of such a thing but for now let’s deal with it. You said it was wood?” Rose asked as she lit a candle. Oh! She’s summoning the elemental again!

“Yep! Let me get my guy too.”

“Summon him so he appears outside please.” She said.

“Will do!” I had no idea how to do that but I gave it a shot. A few seconds of concentration later and suddenly Fluttershy’s front door is replaced by a roaring minotaur-shaped armor. “Well I almost made it outside.”

“Great. Destroy her house from the inside and completely ignore what I’m trying to keep out. Now hurry up and take care of that thing!” 

I gave the butterfly a flat look, one that I had hoped conveyed, ‘Yes, I am well aware of the situation. However, that does not grant you the permission nor does it do anything other than irritate me when you yell at me. It’s not appreciated and in fact makes me want to stand here and inner monologue to myself for a far longer time than would be deemed acceptable. My, just listen to myself, I sound so sophisticated. Like a noble in a high court. Perhaps I shall purchase the land just outside the gates and construct a mall for the plebs. Yes, Sir Reginald… But perhaps this has gone too long as this is beginning to sound out of character. Yes, I need to shake myself of these dangerous thoughts at once.’

I shook my head, coming back to reality to see that the battle started without me. The wolf was trying to swallow my living armor as it roared in defiance while swinging its axe around. Rose had set its back on fire, and Faina was trying to claw out its thick legs at the knee.

I sat back and watched, I could have summoned the wendigo but it would put out the fire and probably not do much against wood. Instead I pulled out my book and started reading through the first few pages. Honestly it was pretty bland, but the subject of summoning was rather interesting. I glossed over the other types of magic and skipped to how to summon. It was basically what I already knew, but what really caught my attention was how to get more of them.

It had a few examples of how to summon a swarm of insects that were created from magic, they obeyed simple commands like move, stay, and attack, but that was it. The more powerful summons, like the wendigo or living armor needed a type of pact or mutual agreement in order to summon them. These were different in how they are summoned based on their existence, it seemed. I read on as the others fought bravely.

‘Take the living armor and wendigo, for example, both exist as energy on another plane of existence and appear when called upon. They have minimal intelligence allowing for minor battle tactics and planning among more generalized commands. Other creatures that can be summoned vary greatly, but the key remains that they need to have at least a basic intelligence in order to form a pact and follow orders. Should one manage to form a pact with a creature matching these prerequisites then a link is formed.

‘The link can be used to mentally send commands, commonly used by advanced summoners, and passively grants a bonus to the creature’s intellect and greater understanding of the creature by the summoner. Should the creature need to be summoned, magic similar to a teleportation spell allows nearly instant relocation of the creature to the summoner’s location. Once its services are no longer needed, releasing the summons returns it to its previous location or its home location. To change a creatures home location refer to page 294 section B.’

I smiled as I read the tomb, this seems really easy and straight forward, and there was even a low level spell that basically tells if the creature is able to form a pact. I was able to memorize it rather quickly and noticed it added itself to my spell list in the back.

I looked up at the others to see how they were doing. Faina and the armor were working on chopping off the last leg, both completely covered in the black goop that seemed to be steaming as they worked. The wolf itself was thrashing its head back and forth biting anything within reach while Rose was having the flame elemental keep the flames going hot. 

I lit up my horn and cast my new spell to see if I could make the huge monster my pet, but I got a negative reaction. Its mind was gone, the body was acting on instinct to feed as it was pretty much destroyed by the decaying corruption. Super rabies. 

The wolf gave one last yowl before growing still, allowing the fire to completely consume it. Faina stood there panting as my armor roared in victory before vanishing back to wherever it was from.

I clapped my hooves from where I was seated, “You did it! Good job!”

Faina sighed as she looked between me and Rose, “... Why am I the only one that got covered in… whatever this gunk is?”

“Because you’re a hard worker… And you are the one with knives on your hooves.” I commented.

“Yeah yeah, I get it. Ranged attackers have their benefits. Think she’ll mind if I user her river?” Faina asked.

“I think you shouldn’t, that slime, while not as dangerous as it once was, is still the result of corrupt and mixed magic. You should towel off and burn the rags and clean the rest in a bath.” Rose suggested. “I will go see if she has any old towels to spare.”

Rose headed inside leaving me with the goopy bat. “How did you get so drenched in the stuff?”

“I blame your armor. The wolf ate it and the armor cut its way out of the stomach, basically right above where I was standing.” She said dully as Fluttershy walked out.

“Oh my goodness, that really is a big mess, I think I have a few more towels if this isn’t enough.” She said and set down a few towels. She was stopped at the door by a trio of whines. “I’m sorry little wolfies, but I can’t have you all stay here right now. If you behave and wait outside like good pups I’m sure we can find you another place to stay for the night that’ll be nice and cozy.” She said and patted their heads.

The apparent wolf pups slinked out and lay down next to me, probably because I was near the door. Or what was left of it.

“Hey Fluttershy,” Faina called out as she turned a pink towel black with goop, “Given what I was told, I thought you would be freaking out a lot more.”

“Oh, believe me I am. Tatl is helping me keep calm with her magic, it really helps me think straight and not freeze up in panic. And she promised to help heal a few of the critters too once things in the forest get cleaned up.” Fluttershy said evenly as she headed inside.

I looked over the wooden form of the timber wolf pups. They were rather large, about the size of an adult pony, but if they grew to be the size of that monster then they probably were babies. I reached out and patted their heads, they didn’t seem to mind, or they were in too much of a shock from seeing what happened to that other wolf dog thing. I sighed, it was really too bad I couldn’t get that big one as a summon, that would have been cool…

My mind halted for a moment as I tried to math, I had three pups here in front of me. Three pups plus several years equals larger wolf wood dogs. Large dog wolves are cool. I pulled open my book again to go over the ‘How to Make A Pact With A Wild Animal’ chapter. It boiled down to cast that spell, state the terms of the pact, see if they agree. If they don’t, there was another subchapter that focuses on breaking their will and enslaving them manually. I was too lazy to read that part, so I just cast that other spell I tried earlier.

They all perked up and looked at me expectantly. “Uh, hi.” I began elegantly, “Want to team up and fight bad guys? It’ll be really cool. I also have access to food, just don’t tell Twilight if I raid her food stuff.”

They started at me for a moment, then to each other, then to presumably their mother still burning nicely, and then to Faina still trying to get the gunk out of her mane. They turned back to me and lowered their fronts to lay their chest and head on the ground and close their eyes.

“What are you doing? Does that mean yes? Are you begging? Why do I feel tingly all of a sudden?” I asked. It was really weird, like suddenly I was able to feel their minds against mine, faint whispers of emotions, thoughts, and instincts. It also made me realize something I’ve been missing for a long time, as long as I can remember. And it made me realize just how much I’m missing in my mind, like a massive hole that was there the whole time but I never saw it until now.

My body started to shake as I searched further into myself, I could hear my mind echoing through the empty space, calling out for a mental contact that isn’t there. There was a void in my head, consisting of just me and three wolf pups, while there was space for millions. I have no idea what was originally supposed to be there, but I need to fill that void to become complete again.

I felt my body being shaken, I looked up with blurry vision to see Rose giving me a worried look. “Sigma, are you alright? What’s going on? What happened? Did you remember something?” She asked.

I shook my head and wiped my eyes, why were they so wet? “No… But I did just find out that I am missing so much more than I ever imagined.” I said as I detailed the feeling of the bottomless pit in my mind. Rose hugged me firmly while Faina stood there looking confused, and then the pups leaned into me as well, almost as though they felt my pain, which could be possible given that I could feel their minds against mine.

“Alright everyone, you’ve now overstayed your welcome, now skedaddle.” I looked over to see the butterfly hovering in the doorway making shooing motions at us.

“Alright, come Sigma, let’s return to the library and get some rest.” Rose said and helped me to my hooves.

“Thanks, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” We started off down the path back through town, the sun beginning to set over the hills in the distance. As we entered the town proper it was still completely deserted and seemed to be boarded up.

“I think they are afraid of the vampony.” I said.

“No, my bits are that they are afraid of the three wolves following us… wasn’t Fluttershy going to take them someplace for the night?”

“Oh yea, I forgot to tell you, I learned how to make a pact with them so they are mine now.” I said as I filled them in on what I was doing as they tried not getting eaten.

“That’s great news! It’s a tad different than my own summoning but I think the same principals apply. We can go over it some more tomorrow though.” Rose said as I felt myself swell with pride.

“Yea that sounds great and all but this smell is never going to get out of my coat if I don’t get into a bath or shower like, right now.” Faina said.

“We’re almost there, it should be just up ahead.” Rose said. True to her word we arrived a few minutes later and let ourselves in.

“Twilight, we’re home!” I called out.

“Oh, welcome back. I was afraid that breezie would-OH CELESTIA! What is that smell?!” Twilight yelled as she entered the room. I sniffed around for a moment, yep. Faina smells like gore.

“I need to wash up.” She said.

“Go. Go go go. If you need help with the water just ask.” Twilight said as she magically shoved her into the bathroom area and slammed the door shut behind her. “Whew, what the hay happened-WHY ARE THERE TIMBERWOLVES IN MY HOUSE?!” Boy she’s loud today.

“I got puppies!” I said with a grin.

“They are timber wolves and are dangerous predators!” She leveled her horn at them threateningly.

“Exactly, it makes sense to have dangerous monsters under your command. They won’t do anything against my wishes.” There was a sudden ripping noise and some light growls. I turned to see them playing with a pillow. “Aw!”

“They’re going to wreak my home!” Her horn lit up and she levitated them outside and locked them out. “I don’t get it but I demand an explanation in a moment. They can guard outside if they are your new summons or whatever.” She sighed.

“Twilight?” Faina called from the bathroom, “The waterfall is really small and I can’t fit under it.”

Twilight facehoofed, “Alright just a minute!” she called back. “You two just, I don’t know, have some tea or something while I give her a hoof.

We watched her turn and head into the bathroom and close the door. She was a bit muffled but sounded like she was showing Faina how to operate the shower. I turned to Rose, “Bedroom?”

“Bedroom.” She agreed, and we headed down to our little basement area.





The other side of town

Fluttershy departed her cottage through the hole that used to be a door with a trio of leashes and collars draped over her back. “Okay little pups, let’s get you over to-” she gasped in horror, “Oh no! Where did they go?! Did they wander off? It’s too dangerous for them to be alone in the Everfree, did they follow the others into town? Without a color they’ll be seen as wild animals! What if someone calls the guards?! Will they blame me for it? Oh, what should I do?” She thought for a moment before deciding, “I’ll look around town first, and if I can’t find them I can ask the others for help searching the forest.”

She nodded, her decision made, and ran off into town.

> ...What?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dawn of the new day arrived as suddenly as the previous day departed. Or something. Anyway I woke up to the sun filtering through the dusty window and a slight buzzing sensation in my head. I scratched at my ear but it still remained. Rose was still sleeping soundly, sprawled out over most of the mattress and with all the blankets. I somehow had a small towel, no idea where that came from.

I decided to let her sleep as I went upstairs. Oddly enough I was the only one awake at this hour, the library seemed almost vacant. I stared into the kitchen as I walked around, I didn’t really feel hungry for some reason so I moved on and looked out the window. I squinted in the early morning sunlight as the annoying buzzing grew louder in my head. After a few more minutes I was awake enough to remember that I had a link with the pups and sure enough, they were trying to get my attention.

I walked out to see what the fuss was to find Fluttershy trying to put a thing on them, but they would duck and dodge around her, not giving her a chance to get close.

“Oh please hold still pups! You need to be on a leash when in town!” She called out softly.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

She squeaked and jumped a bit while the pups gathered behind me. “Oh! Sigma, you scared me!” She took a breath, “The pups need to be taken to Carrot Top so she can feed them and shelter them until the forest is better, I’ve been up all night trying to get them to her but they won’t listen to me, even the Stare isn’t working, and that always works. I’m at my wits end, I just want to scream and cry but Tatl’s magic is still in effect and I can’t help but speak plainly about it.”

“… Okay.” I had no idea what she was going on about as I blinked the sleep from my eyes. “They’re mine now, so they can stay here.” I turned around and went back inside the library, holding the door open for them before closing the door on Fluttershy. The pups sniffed around before making themselves comfortable on the carpet.

I made my way back past the kitchen, once more debating something to eat… I went to the fridge and pulled out an apple for Rose, I may not be hungry but she might be. I closed it behind me and went back down to our bed in the basement. I set the apple on the stand by Rose then plopped into the bed and fell back asleep.





“Oh this place again.” I remarked as I looked at the various windows now occupying the mindscape. 

“Hello again, Sigma.” I turned to see Luna floating around and peering into various windows. “I was curious about your state last night, you seemed distressed and your dream space appeared to be a bit… larger, I would say.”

“Yea, I had a big realization about myself.” I said. The window behind me played out the battle against the large wolf, depicting me as the hero, as I detailed my thoughts and emotions. “So when I made the link with them, I just realized that it was just a big, empty space.”

“I see…” She said, pondering. “I wish I could be of more help, but your mind and dreams are different than that of ponies. I have been searching our library for any information on changelings but the topic still eludes me.”

“Well thanks anyway, I guess.”

“I gave my word that I would help, and I plan on doing so. It appears you are making new memories quite well too. But should you need any further guidance into the past, sometimes dreams can hold the keys.” She offered.

I thought it over for a bit, “Like that dream I had about my name?” She nodded, “Well, maybe. I think I’m going to try to get ahold of these summoning powers and get a few more pacts going. For now, anyway.”

Luna nodded, “I see, I will continue searching on my end, if you need me you need only call from your dreams.”

“Alright, well good luck.” I said as the mindscape faded into a random dream of a series of images… heh, a pony made out of corndogs.





I woke up to the sounds of chewing. I stretched out and yawned, then blinked up at Rose who was sitting there and eating the apple I got earlier and had a book propped open in front of her.

“Good morning,” She said and rubbed my chest, “Sleep well?”

I nodded as I sat up and leaned against her, “The pups woke me up when Fluttershy was harassing them, spoke to Luna again and told her about the mind thing, but yea I slept alright.”

“That’s good to hear.” She flipped a page.

“What’s this?” I asked, nodding to the book.

“It’s a history book; I’m currently at the part about the Wonderbolts being formed.” She said. 

“Neat… Who were they?” 

“They are basically military turned stunt and show ponies.” She explained.

“… I have no idea what that means.”

“Perhaps we can go see one of their shows? Rainbow seems to really admire them.”

“Alright, it’s a date then.” I pecked her cheek and hopped out of bed. “I’m going to see what I can add to my list of summons!”

“Alright, but stay in town and take the pups with you.”

“Okay!” I said as I went upstairs. I found Twilight and Faina up and about; Faina was propped against one of the pups with a map book open while Twilight was talking about various cities.

“Manehatten is said to be Equestria’s leader in industry and sea trade, it’s also quite a tourist spot with attractions such as the state park and the Mare of Liberty. Oh, good morning Sigma. Sleep well?”

“… Do I look tired?” I asked and rubbed my eyes.

“Not really, it’s just a standard greeting in the morning. Also Fluttershy said you were pretty tired as you let the wolves in and left her outside without a word.” She said, looking a bit cross.

I tilted my head, “How do you know about that?”

“I’m secretly a powerful alicorn.” She said.

My jaw dropped, such deception!

“… It’s almost scary how gullible you are. No, Fluttershy was still standing outside when I woke up, you just missed her actually.” Twilight said. So many lies!

“You left out the part when she became a screaming, sobbing mess when you dispelled Tatl’s mind calming spell.” Faina remarked. “That was a hell of a wakeup call.”

“Tell me about it.” I heard spike say. I looked around to see him sinking into an overly large chair with a bathrobe, big hat, and pipe with bubble things floating out of it while reading a comic.

“I am a really heavy sleeper then, I didn’t hear anything.”

“I had the basement soundproofed when I first moved in so the noisy machines wouldn’t disturb the library.” Twilight said.

“The library only you and your friends ever use.” Spike remarked again.

Twilight glared in his direction as Faina spoke up, “So what’s the plan for today? I’d like to meet the mayor at least and get something to eat.”

“I’m going to take the pups for a walk and assemble an army.” I said. “Oh, Rose and I want to see the Wonderbolts, any idea how to do that?”

“Generally you go and buy tickets, but they are usually pretty expensive and sold out months in advanced.” Twilight said.

“What are the Wonderbolts?” Faina looked up from her book.

“The Wonderbolts are an elite team of fliers that also act as part of the military during times of war.” Twilight said simply.

“That sounds pretty cool, when’s the next show?” Faina asked.

“Let me check, Rainbow usually asks me like three times a week about their shows anyway.” Twilight pulled out a book from a nearby shelf. “This is my planner; I’ve got the names and dates of everything that’s officially scheduled up to three years in advanced!”

“Why is your planner mixed in with the library books?” Faina asked.

“So that if anypony wants to they can look up the events themselves!” Twilight said in excitement. She opened it up, unfolded a page, which unfolded into a world map, which each place had more notes folded in on themselves… It made no sense.

“Alright, let’s see… Ah-ha! The next show is four days from now in Manehatten!” Twilight said with a grin.

“… I’m going.” Faina said.

“Me too!” I said. “And Rose.”

“It’s cool with me.” Spike put in.

“They sold out three months ago.” Twilight said flatly.

“Go back in time then and tell yourself to get the tickets.” I suggested.

Twilight face hoofed, “Sigma, even if I did that I would just create a parallel universe where I was visited by my future self and got the tickets while we would still not have tickets.”

“But you would have the tickets?” I was getting lost.

“No. I wouldn’t.”

“Why can’t you just ask Celestia?” Faina asked.

“WHAT!? I can’t just ask Princess Celestia for tickets to the Wonderbolts! That would overstep her trust in me! I don’t want to take advantage of being her student like that!” Twilight looked really upset as she marched up to Faina.

“Alright calm down before you break something, geese.” Faina held up her hooves to ward off the angry Twilight. “If you can’t or whatever then I will.”

“WHAT?!” Twilight yelled again.

“I’ll ask her if I could get tickets, she’s probably got reserve seating as the princess. Besides, this is an excellent chance to see another city, see some culture, and all that jazz.” Faina reasoned.

“And I can use my fire breath to send her letters instantly too.” Spike added. Now I know that’s a lie.

“Spike!” Twilight hissed.

“What?” he asked. So he can send letters through fire? Magic is weird.

“Perfect!” Faina exclaimed and hopped off the pup she was using as a pillow. “I’ll just write it up really quickly and send it on its way.” She walked up to a desk and pulled out some things. I walked up to read over her shoulder but she started sprawling curvy writing across the paper, it just looked like scribbles to me.

“And, there!” She said as she stamped it with a weird hammer and pickaxe symbol. She rolled it up and sealed it with candle wax and tossed it to Spike. “Do your thing big guy.”

“With pleasure!” He said proudly and puffed out his chest for a moment, then exhaled and set the letter on fire. I watched in confusion as the ashes floated out the window.

“What if the window is closed?” I asked.

Spike shrugged. A moment later he belched green flames and a letter fell out of the smoke.

“That’s really weird.” I noted.

Spike picked it up and popped the seal of the sun, looked at it for a second, then passed it to Faina. “It’s written in your swirly writing, I can’t make sense of it.”

“What’s it say?” I asked.

Faina cleared her throat, 



	Dear Grand Faina Night-Steel, 

First I must say it was quite a surprise to see a letter penned in the old style of writing instead of the Equestrian standard. I’m happy to see my own ability to read and write in it has not diminished over the years. Now, as for your question regarding the tickets to the Wonderbolts show in Manehatten. Normally I would decline such requests unless it was a special event. However, due to your mission and in repayment for your services for your assistance I have decided to allow you and whomever you choose to accompany you to the show. Included is the form signed by both myself and Princess Luna that would allow for travel and royal seating at the expense of the crown. I hope you enjoy yourself with your friends and learn more of our culture.

Matriarch of the Sun,
Princess Celestia

PS. The citizens of Manehatten grow restless as of late, I suspect foul play but my sister does not seem concerned. Be on your guard in the city, seek out the one known as Stormy Flare, she will provide good food and a warm bed. Somehow she and her friends are immune to the effects. I will let you know if I find anything else.

Luna



“Well that last part seems ominous.” I remarked.

“See, Twilight? Sometimes you just have to ask.” Faina said with a nod.

“…” Twilight looked like she was about to cry. “Maybe.”

“I’ll tell Rose.” I volunteered and headed to the basement. “Hey Rose?” I called down.

“Yes dear?” she responded.

“I got tickets to that Wonderbolts thing, it’s in four days.” I said loudly.

“Really? That’s great! I think I’ll go tell Flame and see if she wants to go too.” Rose said. There was a few shuffling sounds and I saw her start heading up the stairs.

I smiled, “Yea, today for sure we need to visit the castle. Seems like each time we try something happens that distracts us for the rest of the day.”

“I’ve noticed.” She said.

“Hey Twilight we’re going to visit the castle in the woods.” I said as Rose and I made our way to the door. 

“Can I come?” Faina asked.

“Sure, come on.” I said.

“Can I go?” 

“No Spike, we have some chores to take care of because apparently we’re going to Manehatten now.” Twilight said, Spike responded with a groan as we closed the door behind us.

I paused mid-step and turned back around and opened the door to allow the trio of pups to run out after us. “There.”

“So, they do anything you ask?” Faina asked.

“I guess so. I don’t control them directly but I can tell them to do things.” I said. I turned to them and commanded, “Bring me... an apple!”

They did a small woof of acknowledgement and bolted off down the road, causing several ponies to flee in terror. “Aww, aren’t they cute?”

“Sure…”

We walked through town casually, along the way I tried forming a few pacts. Insects are apparently incapable, a cat just refused and would rather sleep in the sun, the dog just peed and went on his way, and apparently Scootaloo isn’t smart enough to form a pact. Made sense as she was pestering Faina again.

Faina seemed to be handling it well enough; she even let her smell a potion which caused Scootaloo to pass out. Oh wait.

“Was that a sleeping potion?” I asked.

“Something along those lines, she’ll wake up in like two hours or so.” She said and placed the foal on her back. “I’m just glad she fell for it.”

Suddenly a shout floated through the town, “Come back here ya varmints!”

“That sounds like Apple Hat.” I said.

Lo and behold, from around the next corner the pups tore down the road to slide to a halt in front of me and deposit two shiny apples and a banana. I looked to the runt who brought the banana. “That is a very strange apple.” 

“Woof!” he said proudly, apparently he thought so too. I gave him a pat.

“Yah stop…right there…” Applehat huffed and puffed and she collapsed in front of us.

“Hey, Applejack, right?” Faina asked. “What are you doing?”

“Apple… Theives…” she panted.

“Wow you are out of shape.” I remarked, her panting is ridiculous. I mean really.

“If ah could move… Ah’d buck ya to next week…” she threatened.

“I won’t allow it, that’s my responsibility.” Rose said.

Faina snickered, and I didn’t get it.

“Ponies are weird.” I said as I picked up the fruit. “Thanks pups!” I walked over to AH and balanced the apples and banana on her hat. “Let’s get going then.”

“You didn’t actually want the apples?” Faina asked.

“No, I don’t like apples.” I said, causing AJH to gasp. Have I actually had an apple? Hm, don’t care.

“Alright, let me drop her off then, Applejack can watch her.” Faina said and set Scootaloo down beside Hat.

“What the hay?” Ha, she has funny words.

We left the immobile Applehat and the passed out Scootaloo where they were and headed through the outskirts of town to a familiar looking river. The water this time was crisp and clear now and it looked like there was a small dock that had been built. Tied to the dock was a familiar looking boat and a skeletal body. I grabbed a stick in my magic and gave it a poke.

It jerked with a snort and sat up to stare at us with empty eye sockets. “Oh, I wasn’t sleeping, I was just resting my eyes. Though I don’t have any. Yohohoho!”

I grinned, “Hi Binks!”

“Hello again! Word around town is your name is actually Sigma? It makes me happy to hear you recovered!” He declared as he jumped up to look at everyone. When he spotted Faina she backed away a bit and shivered. “Ah, some ponies are still uncomfortable around us. Have no fear young lady, I mean you no harm.”

“No, it’s not the dead part, it’s something else and no I don’t want to talk about it.” She said, looking anywhere but at Binks.

“… Well anyway, think you can ferry us back to the castle?” I asked.

“Well, I was waiting on a shipment of apples but she’s running late, I think there’s time. Everyone hop in! Yohohoho!” Binks wasted no time in untying the ropes and taking up his position with the long stick and steered up upstream. Rose and I were sitting in the middle of the boat while Faina sat at the very front staring straight ahead. The pups didn’t seem to trust the boat and instead played along the banks as we traveled.

“So Rose is recovering quickly, why are you still a skeleton? I was thinking you would have some flesh or something.” I asked. 

“I don’t quite understand the specifics, but the ghosts are still ghosts and the skeletons are still skeletons. It seems only the mummified and well preserved are recovering their bodies, but they may never be 100% like they were alive. My bones are a nice healthy white and the cracks and chips have mended, so I am to remain a skeleton. I don’t mind though, there are worse things…” He said sadly, trailing off as he stared into the woods.

“Anyway, would you care for a song?” He asked.

“Is it a different one?” I asked.

“Nope! Yohohoho!” He declared and burst into the same song from Chapter 5.

Eventually we pulled up to another newly built dock that replaced the old decaying one. The old market place was bustling with activity, the old stones were moved and the land was cleared of weeds and wild grasses and there were tents propped up all over. Several of the large ones had stalls in front of them for various things like bolts of cloth, food, more tools, and other stuff like old pots and treasures.

“Wow, been busy.” I remarked as we stepped off the boat.

“You bet! We’re all working hard to get this place up to snuff!” A familiar voice called out.

“Wait… Caster?” I asked the sky.

“Yep! Got it in one!” She said happily as she emerged from the ground. “This area is going to be the new market, but it’s also doubling as a place to sleep. At the moment were getting set to sell a bunch of our treasures to jump start our future economy, mostly gold and jewels. Right now were still terraforming, clearing the areas to build actual houses and get a small farm going. I’m in charge of the market!”

“That’s good to hear, although is Flame around?” Rose asked.

“Yea, she usually hangs out at the old barracks planning things with the guard.” She said.

“Alright, thank you, and keep up the good work.” Caster gave a salute and returned to flying around the market stalls. Rose turned to us, “The old barracks are this way.” She said and led us toward the old castle.

“Wait here pups.” I said as we started off, the pups whined but remained, soon going back to playing.

As we walked the air was filled with the sounds of construction, hammers were banging and ponies were calling out directions and everyone was rushing one way and another. Before long we reached the barracks and a few familiar faces working in a large tent.

“Admiral Starry Skies, Flame, good to see you again!” Rose said as she took her sister into a hug. “You’re filling out well!”

“And I could say the same to you!” Flame said. “Pinkie and AJ have been giving a steady supply of food and snacks so we’re doing really well.”

“The city is coming along nicely as well; with the help of a few local farmers we’re clearing the zones in record time.” The admiral said.

“So, how did the princess take it?” Flame asked. Rose spent the next few minutes detailed that the princess would be arriving soon to help ease ponies to the city.

“And I would like to introduce, my coltfriend.” Rose said as she pulled me against her and kissed my cheek.

Flame stared at us for a good long moment, “Are you serious?” Rose nodded and grinned. Flame sat down and rubbed her nose, “Rose, I get that he saved us and you felt thankful, but you literally just met him and now you’re going steady? What would Mom say?”

“She would be proud that I was the proactive one. Besides, he doesn’t even know himself and having someone be there for him would help him along too. And so far I don’t have any complaints.” Rose said as she played with my ear.

“… Do I want to know how far you’ve already went?” Flame asked cautiously.

“Well, I am interested if we can have foals as we are.” She said.

Flame facehoofed, “By the gods…”

“By the way, want to come with us to one of the cities and see a show?” Rose asked her.

“And listen to you two going at it? No thanks. Besides, there’s a lot of work to do and I’ve somehow become the de facto leader here. You go and have fun, by the time you get back we should have the market up and running.” Flame said while making shooing motions.

“Alright, we’ll let you get back to work.” Rose said as we turned to leave.

I saw Faina stand and turn around just as Binks entered the tent and bumped into his leg. The next second Faina went nuts. There was the sound of breaking bones as she lashed out in a series of punches as she screamed angrily, “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!”

Binks went down while we could only stare. Faina backed away, a frantic look on her face, before taking into the air and flying off. It was a few seconds and a moan from Binks before we rushed to his aid.

“Binks! Binks, are you alright?” Flame asked as she started removing the clothing from his skeletal form.

“She’s a feisty one. Yohohoho…”

“This isn’t the time to joke around.” She finished opening the robes and looked him over. “Broken femur, fractured pelvis, and two broken ribs. Admiral, get me the glue please.”

“Glue?” I asked.

“Yea, another skeleton broke a bone when Pinkie was throwing a party and she used it to stick the bone back in place. The damn thing healed good as new in a few days. So I’m not too worried about his injuries but we lost our only ferrydog.” The Admiral returned with a white paste in a can and a brush and started applying it to the broken bits and sticking them together. “Now, mind explaining why the hell she just attacked one of the nicest people I know?”

“Honestly I don’t have a clue, she’s always had a cool head even when fighting monsters and she’s been around me for a few days and didn’t seem to care about the, less aliveness, even accepted a hug on occasion.” Rose said.

“Well when she met Binks she didn’t want to talk to him or even look at him, and she only freaked out when she accidentally bumped into him.” I said.

“Not to mention she didn’t use her claw gauntlets either, I suspect the damage would be far worse if she had.” Rose added as she looked him over.

“Why didn’t she? She’s usually waiting for a chance to show them off.” I remarked in thought.

“It almost seems to me like how an animal would attack if it felt severely threatened. She felt the need to protect herself and lashed out instinctively, forgetting about her weapons.” Rose deduced.

“She did seem to realize what happened just before she took off.”

“Then you two should go find her and get an explanation from her and have her apologize to Binks.” Flame said.

“Ah, she doesn’t need to apologize right away.” Binks said.

“What? Why not?” Flame asked in confusion.

“I saw it in her eyes and felt it in her voice; she has a deep hatred and anger towards me. Well, not me directly, anyway, but it’s strong enough to cause her to lose herself in it.” He said. “Perhaps she fled because she’s hurting, you should both find her and calm her down.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked.

“Because I was a father once…” He said simply and trailed off. The tent went oddly quiet, I didn’t really understand how being a father revealed hidden emotions but I suspect they all had family who were no longer around.

After the moment of silence I nodded, “Alright, we’ll find her.”

“Right.” Rose agreed. We headed out of the tent to see a few ponies of various decay staring towards us.

“Which way did she go?” I asked. They pointed to the left, deeper into the forest. “Thanks.”

“Hopefully she didn’t go too far in.” Rose commented as I called the pups to me.

“I doubt it; she’s not a long distance flyer by my understanding.” I said. 

We reached the edge of the forest just as the pups caught up. The forest was noticeably further away now that some of it has been cleared for materials and a field.

I turned to the pups. “Alright gang; I want you to sniff out Faina, the bat pony that used you as a pillow. Find her then let me know.”

The pups did a little howl before sticking their noses into everything and walking in circles for a few moments. The larger one- I should name them. The large one is Zoltar. The smaller one will be Bill, and the middle one shall be… Roxas. Or should I go with wood puns? Nah, this will do. Anyway, Zoltar was the one that got the trail first and ran ahead.

Rose and I kept pace with the other pups as they too caught the scent. It wasn’t long before we noticed more than a few trees with a trio of claw marks slashed into them. I examined them closely.

“Hmmm… But what does it mean?” I pondered.

“It means we’re close, come on.” Rose spurred me forward. Forward for me being into the tree. “Oh! Sorry...”

One Band-Aid to the right eyebrow later and we were back in pursuit! We casually walked through the trees following the pups and the slashes on the trees. We eventually found Faina, lying on her back in silence as tears matted her fur, staring into the sky.

I wasn’t sure what to do or say, so in part I’m glad the pups decided to circle her and start licking her face. She responded with a weak giggle and pushed them away. She moved her eyes to see we were standing there then returned to sadly staring at the sky.

“Hey.” She muttered.

“Hey.” Rose said softly and lay down beside her. I had no idea what to do so I just sat where I was. “Feeling better?” she asked.

“No.” Faina shook her head. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to hurt your friend… I just…”

“He’ll be alright; he actually seemed to be more concerned about you.” Rose rolled onto her side facing Faina. 

“… I’m sure he’s… nice… but I can’t…” Faina’s face scrunched up and she covered her face with her hooves, her body lightly shaking as she cried softly.

“Shh, come here.” Rose pulled her into her chest and held her as she cried. I could only look on with pity, what could turn someone so proud and confident into this? Rose held her for several minutes, petting her head to calm her down. 

“Thanks.” She sniffed.

“Anytime. But I still think you owe him an apology, and I would at least like to know what triggered this.” Rose said.

Faina nodded, “I’m sorry, it’s… hard, still.”

“Just start from the beginning.”

Faina took a few breaths and told us her tale.

“Diamond dogs. From the earliest part of our history, diamond dogs have been a constant plague on my clan. They would break into our vaults and steal our treasures, take our ores, take our gems. Their tunneling was unpredictable and impossible to determine, and because of these several tunnels would collapse each year, often killing and trapping ponies for days until we can free them.

Once the clan was strong enough, the first Steel family set out to push them back and keep them from our tunnels, but they were able to out maneuver us most of the time. It drove them on to try and catch them off guard and over the years developed a means to fight against them through stealth.

We killed diamond dogs, thousands of them, until they finally retreated to their own tunnels. We thought they were gone forever, we let our guard down. I was just a foal, six years old, playing with my best friend Thust. Our parents were inspecting a tunnel not too far from us like they normally did. Checking for signs of monsters from the uncharted caves, checking for integrity, underground water, magma, all that. 

I remember pouncing on Thust and succeeded in pinning him down when I heard this loud crack, like something popped, followed by the heaving chuckles and slurred speech of diamond dogs. The entered the tunnel from all sides and attacked, but as they did… I watched as our parents were crushed under the rocks with the dogs. It was over in seconds. I remember every detail of the swirling dust cloud as I ran forward and started digging. There were a lot of rocks smeared in blood…

My grandfather, Kraden, pulled us away… the rest is a blur but it still hurts every time I think about it. My hooves still have scars from the sharp rocks, I didn’t even feel the pain. After that, I was taken in by my grandfather and Thust was raised by Elder Faye. I focused on stealth combat, Thust focused on making arms and armor. He was the one who made my gauntlets, based them on the ones my father used…

Diamond dogs are responsible for killing my parent, my friend’s parents, one of my other friends, and fellow colleagues. I hate them… Killing them won’t bring back my friends and family, but it sure as hell stops them from killing others’ families…”

Faina trailed off as her story came to an end. 

Rose pulled her into a tight hug, “I am sure those diamond dogs that attack your people may be filled with greed, but out here there are many races of different backgrounds. There are evil ponies just as there are good, intelligent diamond dogs that would never hurt anyone. I don’t think Binks even burrows. I understand it can be hard, I think you did a great job of rationalizing that he wasn’t evil while you were on the ferry. You let you emotions take you over when you were surprised, it happens, nopony has complete control over their emotions all the time. Okay?” Faina nodded. “There, are you feeling better now that you got all that out?”

Faina nodded again, “Yea, honestly I was afraid somepony would ask why I never mentioned my parents, but now that it’s out, I guess I don’t need to worry so much. Thanks.”

“Anytime. Think you can apologize to Binks?” Rose asked.

“I don’t know… I know I should but I’m not sure if I can face him like that just yet. I want to be able to look him in the eye…sockets when I apologize without getting the urge to crush his skull.” She said, staring off into the sky once more.

“Alright, let me say goodbye before we leave and we’ll head back to town to catch the train to Manehatten. I’m sure the trip and the show will make you feel better.” Rose said.

Faina nodded, and together we all headed back to the old castle. Rose went to say goodbye to her sister as Faina, the pups and I waited at the entrance of a new path through the woods.

I turned to Faina, “Your home sounds dangerous but in a cool way.”

“Thanks. I’ve only been out here for a few days but already I want to head back, I’m starting to miss everyone.” She said.

I shrugged, “Well you did tell Celestia that you would take Twilight so she can learn a bit about your ponies, so there’s that.”

“True, but when should I return? What if I didn’t learn enough of the people out here? What then?”

“Psh, I’m living on like a week of memories and using words I don’t remember learning. I’m sure just bringing a few books and stuff will be fine. They can’t expect you to know everything, right? I mean you’re friends with Celestia so I think the hard part of the job is done.”

Faina pondered for a bit, “Yea, I suppose you’re right. And I know all my friends are probably worried sick about me, we have no idea how dangerous it can be out here. Honestly I was expecting a lot more hostility.”

“Why?”

“Just for being different, like I would have to prove myself to the ponies that we aren’t some thick headed cave tribe that paints with their own shit.”

“That’s very specific. Does shit make for good artwork?”

“… Twilight’s right about how scarily gullible you are.”

“It’s not then?”

“It’s a matter of principal; you don’t shit all over the walls.”

“I know that, I mean, if you needed to paint something and all you had was shit, would it do a decent job?”

I felt my tingles and turned to see Rose staring at us awkwardly, “What in Gia’s name did I just walk in on?” Faina could only facehoof as I grinned.

> A Warm Welcome
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The makeshift path back to town was rather nice; we passed several ponies from both the castle and Ponyville as they hauled various carts to and fro. We even passed by Pinkie who was pulling a large colorful cart of her own, she promised it was full of only the most tastiest of treats. As we exited the wood we also passed the orange Applejoack pulling several carts on her own. She glared at us as she huffed and puffed down the path. She was closely followed by a red stallion easily pulling twice as many carts and finally little Applebloom trailed behind with a single cart of her own that was about half the size the others were pulling. She smiled and waved as we passed.

“I thought that the ponies would be more terrified of the city full of ghosts and skeletons.” I remarked.

“My sister must be doing a great job reaching out to the others.” Rose said.

“That and a bit more so my dear.” A mare said from somewhere. “We were more than terrified but with the help of Fluttershy and the other bearers we were able to calm down enough to hear them out.” It was a tan mare with a grey mane that was addressing us; she had a scroll for a cutie mark on her flanks.

“That’s good to hear, my name is Black Rose.” Rose sai-wait, what?

“I thought your name was just Rose!” I half yelled in pure surprise.

“My name IS Rose, Black is my family name.” She explained.

“Ohhh, I think I get it now.”

“And you must be Sigma I hear everypony talking about, it’s a pleasure to meet you at last.” The new pony said. She held out a hoof in my direction.

“… Do I know you? Or, do you know me?” I asked.

“Only from what the townsponies tell me, I hear you’re quite the hero of Lavender Town.” She said, awkwardly setting her hoof back down.

“Lavender Town?” We all shared a confused look.

“Didn’t they tell you?” She asked, “Well, the ponies in Ponyville started calling the Castle of the Two Sisters Lavender Town for some reason. From what I could gather it’s named after a haunted place of myth. It’s not official at all but the residents don’t seem to mind it.”

“It’s got a ring to it.” I said.

“It does have a bit of charm in its own way.” Rose added.

“Oh! Forgive me, I am the mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare.” She introduced herself.

“So, wait, your name is Mare?” I asked dubiously.

She sighed, “You have no idea how often I’m asked that. My full name is Izabelle Mare, which makes me Mayor Mare. Come to think of it, I think ponies just keep electing me mayor because of the name…” She trailed off.

Faina stepped up, “Hello, Mayor Mare, I am Grand Faina Night-Steel of the Northern Crystal Mountain Mines. I’ve been meaning to stop by your office.” She held out a gauntleted hoof toward the mayor.

“Oh! You must be the bat pony I heard about. Though I’m afraid we don’t really have a guard in Ponyville.” She said as she shook her hoof.

I laughed as Faina started sputtering, “I-I’m not a bat pony!”

“Oh… I’m sorry dear but I’m afraid I don’t understand… You look just like the bat ponies flying in from Hallowed Shades.” Mayor Mare said in confusion.

“I’m a thestral!” She heaved a breath, “Alright, I come from…”

I stopped listening as she once again went into her longwinded explanation of her clan and all that. Yes it’s cool I guess bit this is like the fourth time I’ve heard it. I instead focused my time looking around for anything of interest. The pups were chasing a butterfly for some reason, and there were a few ponies with carts walking to and fro, but otherwise it was just a grassy area.

I turned to Rose, “I’m bored.”

“Politics usually are dear.”

On a whim I lit my horn and a moment later summoned my living armor. “UURRRAAHHH!!!!” It grunted.

“AAAHHHH!!!!” I screamed at it.

“MMMRRRAAAAHHHH!!!” it yelled back.

“What are you doing?” Faina asked.

“Talking.” I responded simply. “GUAHH!!”

“HMMM!!!” it grunted.

“GAAA!!”

“ORRRAAAAHHHH!!”

“ENOUGH!” Faina yelled.

The armor stared at her for a moment. “HM.”

“Right. Sorry Mayor Mare, maybe we can set aside a better time for all this?” She said.

“… Yes, Yes I believe that would be for the best. I’ll need to go through my schedule as it’s a bit full at the moment with everything going on; I’m on my way to speak with the leadership in Lavender town at the moment.”

“That’s fine; we’re going out of town for probably a week anyway, how about when we get back?”

“Yes, that will do fine I think. Well I best be off, it was a pleasure meeting you all.” The mayor gave my armor a wary look before she headed along down the path.

“Bye!” I called after her with a wave. “Alright, back to Twilight?” My living armor vanished as I dismissed it, it had fulfilled its duty flawlessly.

“Yeah, I should pack my one bag of things. If Twilight’s coming I don’t think I’ll need my cloak but I will be bringing my armor, just in case.” Faina said as we started heading into the town.

“And it looks cool! Hey can I try it on?” I asked.

“No.” 

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because it’s mine, my coltfriend made them for me and I don’t want anyone else wearing my armor.” She said.

I thought about it for a moment, yes, I suppose I would feel the same with whatever Rose were to make just for me. I nodded, “Fair enough.”

The trip back to the library was largely uneventful. We waved to a few ponies along the way while others seemed to avoid us. I didn’t really care and it looked like Rose and Faina didn’t mind either. They probably only stared because we were made up of the strangest group of ponies in the entire town.

We arrived at the library and I pushed the door open, allowing the pups to run inside. There was a shrill scream and a lot of crashes a moment later. We ran inside to see what all the fuss was. Rarity was standing on the table screeching while levitating a few boxes while Twilight was digging Spike out from under a pile of more boxes.

“WHAT are those THINGS doing here!?” Rarity screeched as she pointed an accusatory hoof at the pups. For the most part they simply ignored her and went to relax on the sofa as the floor was covered in boxes and clothing.

“Those are the Pups.” I said. “They are mine.”

“Like what, pets?”

“Eahh, yeah. Let’s go with that.” I shrugged. “What’s with the boxes?”

“Well my client had to cancel their order when it turned out his fiancé was seeing another stallion behind his back, so I was able to finish Rose, Sigma and Faina’s dresses earlier today so I stopped by to deliver them, and then I hear that you are all taking an all-expenses paid trip to see the Wonderbolts perform in Manehatten? How could a lady refuse~!” Rarity said with a twirl.

“You could just say no.” I suggested helpfully.

“…” Why were they all staring like that? 

“Sigma’s remarkable understanding of society aside, I am free to join you on this trip.” Rarity said as she levitated a box to both Rose and I. “Here you are darlings, just like your other ones but with a bit more pizazz! And one for you too Faina.” Rarity set a box in front of her. “I expect this will greatly improve relations as a diplomat, I’ve even padded it to help keep you warm.”

“Wow, thanks Rarity! I’ll try it on once we get to the city so it isn’t dirtied up in the travel.” She said as she balanced the box on her back.

It was just a few minutes later and everyone was packed with the things they deemed worthy of bringing along to Manehatten. Faina was wearing her leather and chain armor with her gauntlets, Twilight had her own set of saddlebags, Rose had a spare set of saddlebags from Twilight to carry both our cloths and a few books from the library, and Spike was supporting a mountain of Rarity’s luggage while she had a dainty purse.

“Let’s go!” Rarity cheered as she led the way outside, followed by Twilight, Faina, Rose, me, and Spike taking up the rear with his teetering tower of luggage.

Faina trotted up beside Twilight, “Don’t you think you should invite the others too?”

“I thought about it, but Fluttershy isn’t really good with crowded places and she has her hooves full with Tatl and the wood nymphs. Then Pinkie and AJ, I doubt they would drop what they are doing to feed an entire city and keep a party going non-stop. I was going to ask Rainbow to come with but she hasn’t been seen all day, so I have no idea where she could be.” Twilight explained.

“You don’t think she went to Manehatten to see the Wonderbolts without telling us, do you darling?” Rarity asked.

“I know she was excited for it but I’m not sure if she managed to get any tickets or not.” Twilight said.

We made it to the station and got hooked up with the royal suite once again. I told the pups to behave and hang out with Pinkie, who may or may not be aware that they are friendly, and before long we were on our way to the big city!





Several hours later and I’m bored out of my skull. I Spy got old fast, Twilight keeps talking about boring history, Faina snores like a lumberjack and the others all found something else to do while I wished I had claws to scratch out my eyes!

“Sigma! Get out of the overhead storage, we’ve only been traveling an hour and there are six to go!” Twilight scolded me.

“WHAT?! Impossible!” I called as I buzzed to a new hiding place, shoving things aside to make room.

“Sigma if I need to put you under a sleep spell like I did to Faina I will not hesitate!”

“You’ll never take me alive!”

The last thing I saw was a flash of purple and then darkness.





“I awoke several hours later, blinking blearily into the light of the evening sun…”

“Sigma you’re speaking out your internal monolog.”

“Twilight said as she pulled out luggage from their hidden cubby holes. I said with a grin.” I grinned.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.” Twilight sighed as she unloaded everything out the door into Spike’s waiting arms.

“Let him have his fun, you did knock him out for several hours. How do you feel, dear?” Rose asked and patted my head.

“Like a lot of something valuable!” I exclaimed excitedly as I hopped to my hooves.

“Like a million bits?” Twilight asked for some reason.

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“It’s a saying, you know, like you’re really happy or feel really good, ponies say they feel ‘like a million bits.’” Twilight explained.

“… That’s stupid, bits don’t feel.” I explained to her as I walked past onto the station.

If I thought that the Canterlot station was busy, this place was packed! I was faced with a solid wall of ponies rushing this way and that way, a great many of them wearing a frown or a scowl on their face. There were a few other races mixed in as well, there were weird lion-birds, minotaurs, dopey donkeys and ponies. Wait, they looked like ponies but something about them seemed… strange. I stared at them as they stared at me with what looked like shock. The next thing I knew I was surrounded and shoved into a corner of the station.

“What the hell are you doing here like that?!” One of them hissed at me strangely.

“… What?” I had no idea what was going on.

“Don’t play dumb, why aren’t you in your disguise, just standing around in the open?” Another asked as the rest huddled close to keep me hidden from something.

“Oh, it’s in a box with the rest of the luggage.” I said, assuming they were talking about the suite Rarity made me. How they knew about it I had no idea. “My last one was torn to shreds so I’m saving it for special occasions.”

Apparently the thought of my clothing being destroyed struck a chord of anger with them as they hissed under their breath.

“Ponies…”

“Spiteful creatures…”

“How dare they attack us like that?”

“Anyway, Rose and the others are probably looking for me, I should get back.” I said and tried to move past them.

They pushed together and closed the gaps between them. I looked at them in confusion as they pressed together. 

“Are you nuts?!”

“You can’t go out like that!”

“Should I get my disguise?” I asked.

“Worst. Infiltrator. Ever.”

“Fine, who’s Rose?” One of them asked.

“The undead mare standing behind you.” I said pointing her out.

“Undead?” They turned to look and came face to face with Rose in all her somewhat decayed but well preserved glory. “…”

“…” Rose stared at them a moment.

“Oh good, you’re here. This drone needs his disguise.” One of them said.

Rose leaned to the side to look at me. I grinned back. She shrugged and took out a box from her bags and handed it over. The other ponies took the box and pulled out the suit and helped me put it on. Moments later I was feeling pretty well dressed in my clean pressed suit.

“Hmm, missing something…”

“Hmmm…” They pondered.

“I think…” One of them stepped forward and took off their beret and placed it on my head.

“…”

“It’s perfect!”

“Nopony would be the wiser!”

“Flawless!”

“Alright new guy, now you’re ready for the city!” The others nodded. “The Queen has recalled us all from the cities for some reason, so be sure to be back before long. Word is something big is about to go down in the city pretty soon so I’d get back as soon as you’re done.”

“Kay.” I said. The others quickly departed and boarded the train, leaving me standing there with Rose.

“They seemed nice.” I said.

“They seemed to recognize you; do you have any idea who they were?” Rose asked as we headed back towards Twilight who was waiting with Faina, Spike and Rarity by the ticket kiosk.

“No clue. They felt different though, like not like normal ponies.” I explained.

“That tingling feeling you mentioned?” She asked.

“Yea, I didn’t feel a thing.”

“Well if you encounter more of them maybe we can get a few more answers.” I nodded as we met up with the others.

“Well that was weird, glad you’re alright though. The big cities tend to have their fair share of strange ponies.” Twilight commented as we headed out to the main streets.

“That is true darling, one can never be too cautious. The best course is to not appear like a tourist, right Faina?” Rarity said as she addressed Faina who was gazing up at the tall buildings. “Yes… well, I see you have taken a liking to your suit Sigma, although that beret is garish and doesn’t match in the slightest.”

“We could stop by the discount hat emporium for a new hat.” Twilight suggested.

Rarity gagged a bit, “While some ponies may be fine with cheap clothing, that is the suite I made by hoof so I will be the one to pick out an appropriate hat.”

“Alright, you’re the clothing one so whatever you think is best.” I said.

Twilight chuckled as she pulled out Celestia’s letter, “Alright everypony, according to Princess Luna we need to find Stormy Flare.”

“What’s your business with Stormy, eh?” A voice off to the side called out to us.

We turned to see… a Spike recolor dressed like a punk.

“… Spike? When did you turn green?” I asked.

Purple Spike peered around the boxes at Green Spike and they stared at each other for a moment.

Green Spike shook his head. “You’re a fucken moron you know that? I’m the only me there is.” He puffed his cigarette, “Now, answer my question. Depending on your answer, I may let you go unharmed.”

Looking to the sides and behind, there were still ponies going about their business, but there were two or three that had stopped a few feet away to watch us. 

“Hey Twilight, give him the letter.” I suggested.

“Alright, I’m sorry; we don’t want any trouble…” Twilight said as she levitated the letter to the small green dragon.

“You look like trouble. Bunch of weirdos get off a train then start asking about Stormy? That’s enough for anyone to be concerned.” He snatched the letter out of Twilight’s aura and read it over. Once he reached the end he chuckled, “Going to see a show, eh?” He did a hand signal and the ponies that were watching us blended back into the crowd. “If you’re cool with Luna you’re cool with us. Come on, there’s some things we need to talk about.”

“Leaving so soon?” Faina asked from behind the dragon.

The dragon reacted quickly, whipping around and slashing with a dagger. There was a ping of steel on steel as she blocked with her own dagger. “Nice reflexes.” She commented.

He smirked, “Good, at least someone can handle themselves.” He twirled the knife and it vanished from sight. “The name’s Roulette. I’ll take you to the gang.” He flicked his cigarette off to the side and started walking away.

“Where are we going?” Twilight asked, but remained unanswered. We followed him for block after block, through several alleys and over an expansive bridge to the small island not far off shore. We looked around at what could be considered to be a shipyard, there were two airships tied to the ground and another in a dry dock with ponies and other races crawling all over it. Sounds of heavy construction and machines filled the air..

A few minutes later we walked up to a large restaurant called The Storm Vein. Roulette held the door open for us. We filed in one by one to see a nicely decorated room with more than a few tables fitted with decorative cloths and menus. Near the back was a large table with a few shady characters playing a card game.

“Your gang hangs out at a restaurant?” Twilight asked.

“Oi, we don’t ‘hang out’ here, we own this joint.” A mare said as she came out of the kitchen area. “Roulette, who are the tourists?”

“Here on Luna’s word, they’ll be going to the show. I think Luna sent them to help us out.” He told her as he wandered to the table in the back and they dealt him a hand.

“Well if Luna sent you have a seat and pick something to eat. We got a spare room you can stay in in exchange for helping out around here.” The mare said.

“Oh, We’ll do what we can, thank you miss…?” Twilight asked leadingly.

A moment later the door opened and a pair of mares walked in. “We got that stuff you asked for Stormy!”

The others gasped, “Rainbow Dash!? What are you doing here?”

“Guys? Why are you all here?” She asked as she set down several bags of vegetables on the counter.

“We could ask the same thing, darling!” Rarity said.

“We did though…” I said in confusion. The others gathered around and exchanged hugs with Rainbow while Rose, Faina, and I stood by the other mare, a Pegasus with fiery orange hair and a yellow coat. She wore a black jacket of some kind that made her look shinier and dark sunglasses hid her eyes.

“Hello.” I said.

She peered right through me. “Sup scrub? What’s with the hat?”

“It’s my disguise!” I said proudly.

“… Right. So what brings you all here?” She asked suspiciously.

“On Luna’s orders sweetie.” The older mare, Stormy, said as she walked over and gave the younger mare a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Mom, not in front of everypony!” The younger protested and tried pulling away, but it was too late. The group at the table pointed and laughed as her cheeks turned crimson. Now that I looked at them side by side, they did look really similar.

“It’s my job to tease my daughter, no matter how big and important she is. Now go get washed up and help prepare dinner.” Stormy said and pushed her into the kitchen.

“Wait, Rainbow, was that Spitfire?” Twilight asked.

“Yep! The one and only! We hang out now and then ever since I saved her last year at the Best Young Flier’s competition and her mom offered me a place to stay whenever I’m in town. She also makes some of the best food I’ve ever tasted so how could I refuse!”

“You could just say no.” I suggested helpfully, again.

“…” There they go staring at me again.

“Anyway, what brings you all here?” Rainbow asked as we sat down at one of the tables.

“Princess Luna directed us here, she mentioned trouble was brewing and I think she wants us to help with whatever it is. Originally we were just going to see the Wonderbolts in action because Faina wanted to see their show.” Twilight explained.

“I convinced Celestia to give me an all-expenses paid super ticket.” Faina gloated.

Rainbow’s jaw hit the floor, “Are you kidding me?! I had to save for months before buying the ticket, and that was months ago! Spitfire refuses to let me sit in the friends and family section…”

“Gotta keep up appearances kiddo, you’re cool and all but as soon as I start letting some mare into the good seats the media will go nuts, probably say we’re dating or I’m giving special privilege.” Spitfire said as she walked out of the kitchen with an apron and a pot, which she placed on a fire pit. “Besides, if you do wind up making the reserves in the next few years I don’t want ponies thinking I went easy on you and basically gave you the position, understand?”

“Yea, I understand.” Rainbow said with a hint of sadness.

“Hey cheer up, grubs almost ready. Set up a big table for your friends and the others.” She raised her voice, “Hey freeloaders, you help setup too if you want to eat!”

The group of ponies sitting in the corner stopped and glared at her, to which she responded with a sly grin. “You know Spitty, one of these days you’re going to regret your words.” One of the stallions said, pointing a strange pipe at her. He was pretty rough around the edges and had a dangerous glint in his eye. His coat was brown and his mane was black. He was wearing a hat similar to the one Apples had, and was wearing a few belts like Faina does, but with more of the pipe things in them.

“Relax Jack, she’s just teasing. And last I checked I give you way more grief than her anyway. We’ll be right there sweetie~!” A green unicorn mare with a silvery mane said. She had what appeared to be a flute wrapped in ribbon for a cutie mark. 

She seemed to graciously glide over to us and set up the tables with precision and fluid motions, almost like she was dancing. 

The rugged pony, Jack, sighed and put the pipe thing away. “You’re both lucky I have a soft spot for cute mares.” Spitfire and the green one stuck their tongue out at him.

“I’m out.” Roulette said, tossing his cards onto the table and departing out a back exit.

“You too Swiss. Strings you can go ahead and find a seat.” The green mare said. The other figure moved into the light, their body was mostly hidden in hooded robes, only allowing keen eyes to peer out at us before he too exited out the back door. 

Another figure stepped forward, he stood about as tall as Spike and was covered in thick brown fur, and two little nubby horns stuck out of the top of his head as he waddled over and sat down in a chair. In his hand he was playing with a few strings, twisting and tying them into different patterns.

“… Oh well. My name’s Phoebe by the way, but you can just call me Pipp.” The green mare said. “I’m an exotic dancer, master of rhythms and great at playing the flute as well. Nice to meet you!”

“Dancer? Like a performer?” Faina asked.

“Yep, those other three and I got a traveling show going, using a mixture of magic and plenty of practical stunts we rake in a fair bit of coin. I draw the crowds and they wow the audience.” She explained.

“We call them Three Cheese, because their names are Jack, Swiss, and Strings. Pepperjack cheese, Swiss cheese, and string cheese!” Spitfire grinned. There was a loud explosion! I jumped and spun around to see Jack pointing one of his pipes at Spitfire; it has a small trail of smoke coming out the end.

“What did I say about calling us that?” He said threateningly.

“What the bloody hell is going on in here?!” Stormy yelled as she came out of the kitchen. She looked from the smoking pipe to the hole in the wall and glared at Jack. He tried quickly putting the pipe away but he was doomed. “What did I tell you about shooting off your little pistols in my restaurant?! Get out! Find someone else’s food to eat before I really get mad!”

Spitfire smiled apologetically as Jack looked between them. “Fine.” He muttered and turned to leave.

“And don’t come back until you got money for repairs! And for Luna’s sake get Roulette to pay his tab!” Stormy yelled after him, the door closing with a solid thud.

There was a tense silence in the room for a few moments before Spitfire spoke up, “Now you know why my mom is called Stormy.”

Stormy spun around and smacked Spitfire on the rump with a wooden spoon, causing her to yip in pain. “You better watch it too missy or you’ll be next to go without dinner.” Stormy warned.

“Yes Ma’am.” Spitfire responded and went back to stirring the stew diligently.

Stormy addressed the rest of us, “You all have a seat, dinner will be out in a moment.” She turned and trotted back into the kitchen.

We nodded and sat, doing out level best to behave, lest we face the storm of a mother’s wrath.

> The Mission
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Jack left out the back and things had settled down, we spent the next few hours at the table chatting with each other while we dined on the vegetable stew that Stormy had prepared. 

Rainbow was telling us how she won the Best Young Fliers competition and was hanging out with the other Wonderbolts for the day.

“So after the competition me and the Wonderbolts fly off and have a bit of a race of our own. I was so excited so of course I agreed. Man, they really put me to the test! I’ve actually done a lot of endurance training since then because of it, but whatever. So after the race it was just me, Spitfire, and Soarin. The others dropped out of the race for one reason or another-”

“I usually let them do whatever as long as they are ready in the morning.” Spitfire added in.

“Yea, so it’s just us three and our race ended just outside Manehatten. Spitfire turned and asked if I wanted to see the city since we were already there, so I was like, ‘Sure, why not?’”

“You forgot the part where you hopped around us in a circle shouting ‘YES!’ a million times.” Spitfire added with a grin.

Rainbow coughed into her hoof, “Well, maybe. I don’t know. Anyway, we get to the city and almost right away these guys just come out of the woodwork and start threatening us, demanding our bits and other things. Well, I wasn’t about to let them hurt my friends, so I was ready to throw some hooves if I had to. They took one look at me before busting out laughing. At first I thought it was they weren’t taking me seriously-”

“Trust me, they weren’t.” Spitfire added again.

“-So I got mad and was about to lay some hurt on them. But Spitfire stopped me and hoof-bumped them instead. I was soo confused, I wound up just standing there watching them as they greeted each other like old friends. Eventually we got to this place and I met Stormy for the first time. Talk about surprise, I had no idea that Spitfire was part of a gang.” Rainbow more or less finished.

“So, with all that said, you mentioned earlier that you are working with Princess Luna about some trouble in the city, how did that come about?” Twilight asked Stormy and Pipp.

“Well, while each city has its own city guard to act as first responders, they tend to answer to only Celestia and her guard captains. When Luna returned, she wanted some form of guard of her own that would be secret and well hidden, unlike the general knowledge of the bat pony guards, who would know the darker parts of the city. So she spoke to the various Wonderbolts or guards who came from more… dubious backgrounds.” Stormy said.

Pipp spoke up, “So it turned out that a lot of them had friends, family, or knew someone in various gangs or social circles who would be willing to let the princess know of any serious dangers that threatened the balance of the cities. Their reporting and Luna’s quick work has preventing numerous gang wars and power struggles, even if they have no idea she was involved.”

“Fascinating!” Twilight said as she jotted a few things down. “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!”

“… Right.” Spitfire said doubtfully.

I raised my own hoof, “What was that loud, explody thing Jack had?”

Stormy scoffed, “It’s one of those stupid flintlock pistols from the gryphon lands. The idiot is obsessed with them, claims to be a sharpshooter or something. The guy can barely hold it right in his hooves and they had to be modified so he can pull the trigger. Waste of bits if you ask me, things are loud, messy, and take so long to reload he’s got to carry four just so he has spares.”

“What about Strings? He hasn’t said a word all night.” Faina asked.

“Strings… doesn’t really talk.” Pheobe explained, “I think the only one he talks to is Swiss, and that guy doesn’t talk to anyone outside of glaring at them.”

We took a moment to glance at Strings, he didn’t seem to notice as he was enthralled in playing with the string strung between his dexterous appendages.

“Right, well, you guys said we could probably help out, so what is going on that you need our help for, and that Luna sent us to you directly?” Faina asked the others.

Stormy, Spitfire, and Pheobe sat up a bit straighter as we got down to business.

“There’s a strange tension in the air, the other gangs have gone quiet, not as many fights or anything. We looked into it, they are keeping their distance but they are building fortifications, almost like they are expecting to be invaded.” Stormy told us.

“Everyone else in the city is thinking it’s some kind of blessing that the streets are ‘safe’ now. They aren’t. Anyone caught wandering off the main roads is killed by one of the gangs.” Pheobe continued. “Then there’s the fact that Princess Luna herself can’t seem to enter their dreams. She has told us she suspects a dark magic is involved, something mind altering that is blocking her. She doesn’t want to cause a panic just yet but would like us to look into it for her.”

“So here we are, presented with the opportunity to finally get to the bottom of this.” Stormy resumed, “Twilight, your magic is quite powerful from what I hear, you may be able to scan the city and see if you can locate if this disturbance is magical in nature, and maybe identify it entirely.”

“I’ll do my best!” Twilight said with a bit of a salute.

“Faina, Princess Luna’s guard, the bat ponies, are incredibly stealthy, can you claim the same?” Stormy asked her.

“Of course, stealth is my special talent, after all.” She grinned.

“Perfect. Then I want you to infiltrate the gangs’ bases and see what you can find out. I want to know if they are working with someone or something, and if they are up to something evil, put a stop to it.” Stormy frowned.

“Of course.” Faina nodded.

“Rainbow and Spitfire, I want you to keep doing your normal rounds.” This earned a salute from Dash. “Pheobe, you’re here with me helping coordinate our own people and triage if necessary.”

“As per usual~” Pheobe said with a flourish. “Rarity is with me though, we can talk about her famous dresses!”

“That sounds marvelous! I’m not one for such roguish adventures, and you look like a mare of exquisite tastes.” Rarity said with a smile.

“Yep! You should see my collection!”

“What’s triage?” I interrupted them.

“Oh, in the event of a massive gang war we need someone to tend to the wounded and make sure they get treated in a timely manner. I know a bit of healing magic and a few rituals to help protect a general area. I’m no front line fighter but I’m a great support when things go south.” Pheobe said.

Rose leaned forward, “You expect this to escalate to a war?”

“No, we are merely prepared for a gang war. Should one break out, we would be just as ready as the other gangs.” Stormy said. “The other’s know their responsibilities so they should be fine for the moment. You two, Rose and Sigma… I want you to accompany Twilight. It’s dangerous for a mare to wander the city alone and she could use an extra pair or two of hooves, I would think.”

“Perfect, when do we start?” Faina asked.

“Wait, already?” I asked, it was so sudden!

“Of course. We’ll go about our missions after the dishes are done.”

“But what about Strings?” I asked and pointed him out... He was gone. “Huh?”

“He’s already on the roof, at the ready.” Stormy grinned mischievously.

“What’s he do then?” I asked.

“The best that he can.” Pheobe grinned.

“...”

“Oh, ha!” Faina giggled.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s clean up and get out there, meet back here at sunrise. Got it?”

“Got it.” We all repeated. 

We stood from the table and quickly finished washing the dishes before going our separate ways.